Changed Destiny
by Black Beyond
Summary: Previously posted under the penname Black Rose on ASMR. An AU fic. The Pluto before Setsuna watches the destruction of the Silver Alliance and decides to use her ultimate weapon to change destiny. Beryl has taken control of earth and it's up to Usagi to b
1. Default Chapter

Changed Destiny  
by Black Beyond  
  
[previously posted on ASMR under the pen name Black Rose]  
  
  
Alright, minna. I'm terrified someone's going to try to nab me for plagiarizing myself, but I've wrote a sequel and since I don't post on ASMR anymore I'm reposting Changed Destiny here, under my current pen name. As I've said before, I've used several pen names and e-mail addresses to write fanfiction: Lita Juno, Cosmic, Lady of the Black Rose which was later shortened to simply Black Rose, and Black Beyond.  
  
This is an AU fic. Meaning that yes, some of the characters will be out of character, say things they don't usually say and act ways you'd never see them act. They will have some different powers, especially the ones most affected by the changes in the timeline. So nyah.  
  
This is the two-piece version. I wrote it a while back, so it may not be as good as my newer stuff. Except the sequel soon. Ja!  
  
  
  
It was over. The barren wastes of the once   
beautiful and magic city of the Moon and the   
surrounding lands looked odd. A lone woman, her   
hair floating softly in the breeze, stood at the   
edges of the waste-land. Tears streamed down her   
scarred cheeks, unwanted memories of what had   
happened just a few moments ago flooding her   
mind...  
  
  
A woman in red, holding a glowing mass of   
black above her head, a horrid smirk on her face...  
  
A black mass of energy speeding towards a   
group of sailor fuku-clad women, it was alive, but   
not.   
  
Dead bodies littering the ground, the streams   
  
and rivers ran scarlet with the blood of It's   
victims...  
  
A rainbow of colors...  
  
The horrible laughter It screeched as it   
killed them off, one by one...  
  
A small girl, of about sixteen, holding a   
sword to her stomach as she cried over the body of   
a young man, his blood making a red pool around   
them...  
  
A lady in white, with a short wand in her   
hand, crying for the soul of her daughter as she   
shouted words that made the wand erupt with   
light...  
  
  
  
As she stood, she slowly pushed them away, to   
put in her chest of sad thoughts.   
  
She would go back over them when she was   
feeling sorry for herself.  
  
But she would do one last thing for her   
Queen, the Lady of the White Moon, so that perhaps   
the guilt would not be so great.  
  
Maybe, if she gave herself to fight this   
demon, destroy it forever, the time-lines would be   
changed.   
  
She didn't like the idea of Crystal Tokyo.   
She didn't like the thought of putting her princess   
through so much pain to achieve it, only to be   
destroyed.   
  
No, she would do the forbidden.   
  
She, the first senshi of the Planet Pluto,   
would give her life and title up, to change the   
future.   
  
She ran over the choices for the next Sailor   
Pluto. She found it, smiling gently as she wrote a   
letter to her processor.   
  
  
  
  
-Meioh Setsuna. You are given this task. I   
should have found you and trained you during the   
Empty Times, as it was to be, but I had decided to   
do the forbidden. Ask the Gates. They know all.-  
  
  
She picked up the staff and looked at the   
purple orb. Every senshi had a different staff, a   
different color. When it was time to go on, or when   
they chose to go on, the staff broke and the color   
changed.   
  
Purple would be no more.  
  
In a swift, sudden movement, she ran through   
the Gates of Time, throwing her powers here and   
there. Changing the future with every blast.   
  
At the end, when no power was left, she stood   
tall, breathing heavily. She took a deep breathe,   
and swung the staff towards the ground.   
  
The orb shattered into millions of pieces.   
  
Pain shot through her body, and her vision   
disappeared, she saw hot white light.  
  
And her soul drifted away....  
  
  
  
Luna crept in and out of the shadows, looking   
for the saviors of the planet.   
  
It had been almost three years since the   
great battle. Beryl had awoken early, and sensing   
the weakness of the planet, had complete control of   
it within a month. Earth's armies tried to put up a   
fight, but it just wasn't even. Guns and cannons   
against magic?   
  
  
They hadn't even had a chance.  
  
Oh, it wasn't that bad. Beryl was a good   
queen, even if she was cold hearted and cruel. The   
people could do anything they wanted, if they   
weren't against her. Some people didn't even note a   
difference.   
  
Children still went to school. People still   
went to work. Dogs still barked, the sun still   
shone.   
  
But it was if a gray wash had been painted   
over the colors. The air was heavier. Any who had   
opposed the Queen died.  
  
It was that simple.  
  
"It is her." Luna gasped, watching a girl   
with blonde buns, the royal hairstyle of the Moon   
family.  
  
She wondered if Beryl had noticed it.  
  
Probably not. If she had, she and her family   
would be dead. Murdered, in the cold blood.  
  
She prepared to run to the girl, beseech her   
to transform, as she had already spotted two of the   
other ones she was looking for.  
  
She came to her senses. There were people   
around. Agents of the Dark Kingdom. If they saw a   
talking cat, she'd be fried before she could blink.  
  
No, follow the girl, then approach her.  
  
Approach the Savior.  
  
  
********************************  
  
  
  
Usagi walked up the stairs to her bedroom,   
wondering about what she would wear the next day.   
The Dark Kingdom had done away with the school   
sailor fukus and made a law saying that anyone who   
remotely even dressed in anything slightly   
resembling a sailor's fuku would be tortured and   
fed to the dogs.   
  
She jumped when she saw the black cat on the   
bed.   
  
'How did that get in here?' She wondered. She   
noticed the open window.  
  
"Oh. You scared me, Neko-chan." She giggled,   
and walked over to her closet, carelessly throwing   
her bag on the floor.  
  
"Usagi." She heard someone say. She turned.   
Just the cat.  
  
"Hmm. I could have sworn..."  
  
  
"Usagi, I have something to tell you." The   
cat said. Usagi stared, open mouthed.   
  
But she wasn't really surprised. Three years   
of seeing freakish creatures walk by your window   
sorta prepares you for this kind of thing.  
  
"You talk?" She asked, stupidly.  
  
"I do. My name is Luna. Do you remember me,   
my princess?" Luna asked hopefully. Her smile went   
into a frown as the girl shook her head.   
  
"No, I don't. What do you want? You aren't   
from the Dark Kingdom, are you?"  
  
"God, no! But that is why I'm here. You,   
Usagi, are the Moon Princess. You are here to fight   
Queen Beryl, for it is you that should rule. You   
cannot fight as the princess, and it is even more   
such that I don't know how to awaken her.   
  
"You must fight as Sailor Moon. Artemis and I   
created her, before he left. He is a cat, like I."  
  
"Sailor? I can't be a sailor! Sailors are   
outlawed." Usagi said incredulously.  
  
"And you know why? A thousand years ago, a   
great battle occurred and the warriors that fought   
were dressed as Sailors. The Sailor Senshi. You   
weren't one then, but you must be now."  
  
"I know this is insane, but I believe you,   
Luna." Usagi said, closing the closet door. "What   
should I do? I've never liked Beryl, anyway."  
  
"Take this." Luna did a back flip. Out of no-  
where, a gold locket appeared, dropping to the   
bunny bed-spread. "Hold it up and shout Moon Silver   
Power, Make up."  
  
"Okay." Usagi picked up the locket and looked   
at it's glossy cover. On it was a silver moon, a   
rose intertwined along it's side. On the edge was   
many colorful symbols. She thrust it above her   
head. "MOON SILVER POWER MAKE UP!" She shouted.   
  
A flash of light blinded Luna. It was like   
all the light that had been hidden away came into   
the small room, encircling Usagi and lifting her   
up, as she danced in the light. It hid her body   
from view for the shortest of seconds.   
  
When the light left, Usagi was no more.   
  
A young warrior stood. She wore a Sailor Fuku   
with a skirt of shimmering gold. The bows were   
silver, sparkling with some unknown glitter. The   
locket was in the center of the bow on her chest. A   
silver tiara was on her forehead, and a dark violet   
gem inside it.   
  
"That is Sailor Moon." Luna whispered. The   
words gave her hope, and filled her with a giddish   
glee.  
  
"I feel... powerful." Sailor Moon said,   
looking at herself in wonder.   
  
"You are, or rather, will be the most   
powerful person in the planet. Come on, Sailor   
Moon. Let's go wake your guardians."  
  
  
***************************  
  
  
"Study study study. That's all I ever do."   
Ami grumbled, as she pulled out a science book and   
took notes on Chapter 6, over the exciting topic of   
land masses!  
  
Joke, people. Joke.  
  
She was bored with life. Everyday, she woke   
up, brushed her teeth, ran a comb through her short   
blue hair, walked to school, then came home, and   
studying until bedtime.   
  
Everyday.   
  
"I've had it!" She slammed the book shut,   
stomped over to her window, and threw it open. She   
fell back on her bed, staring at the ceiling... not   
noticing how her eyes were slowing falling shut...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
"Ami! Wake up!" She came to, hearing her name   
whispered in front of her. "Luna, are you sure   
she's the one?" The voice asked.  
  
"Of course. You doubt me?" Another voice   
asked.  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Wha?" Ami asked, sitting up and rubbing her   
eyes. Slowly, a girl's figure came into view. Ami   
scooted back against the wall as she saw the   
sailor-ish costume.  
  
"Who are you?" She demanded.  
  
"A friend, Ami. Hurry, we need you. You are a   
warrior to fight against Beryl. Luna, do your   
freaky thing." The girl bent down and sat a black   
cat on the bed.  
  
"It's not, 'A freaky thing'. It's complex   
move that tears open space itself and rea--" Luna   
protested.  
  
"Whatever!"   
  
"You talk!?" Ami screeched, jumping up. "How   
do you talk?!"  
  
"I just *can*, okay?" Luna muttered, and did   
her back flip. A wand, blue and silver in color with   
a delicate symbol on it's tip fell to the bed.  
  
"Go ahead, take it." the girl in the Sailor   
fuku urged.   
  
"Hold it up and yell, Mercury Prism Power   
Make up." the cat directed. Ami felt her hand, as   
though it had a life of it's own, inching it's way   
towards the stick. Sighing, she picked it up.  
  
It was a change.  
  
  
"MERCURY PRISM POWER MAKE UP!" She yelled,   
raising it above her head.  
  
The room was filled with a sudden draft. From   
the wand shot many ribbons of blue, each a   
different shade, but all had the same watery look   
to it. They wrapped themselves around Ami, and a   
flash of light made both Sailor Moon and Luna   
looked away.   
  
When they looked back, Sailor Mercury was   
gazing at the reflection in the mirror.   
  
"Is that really *me*?" She asked, voice full   
of wonder.  
  
"It sure is, Sailor Mercury. I'm Sailor Moon.   
Come on, there's one more of us to get."  
  
******************************  
  
  
  
'Great Fire, please tell me what my visions   
mean.' Rei pleaded.   
  
For an instant, she saw five girls in Sailor   
Costumes, each one had a different meaning.   
One of them was fire.  
  
Just as suddenly, the vision broke away.   
Phobos and Diemos flew away from their positions   
beside her, squawking like mad.   
  
She couldn't feel anything.  
  
All of her went numb, and the image of the   
sailor clad girl that was fire flashed over and   
over in her mind.   
  
"What is it?" She asked.  
  
"I believe she's having visions. Sailor Mars   
was the physic one, you know." A female voice with   
a slight British accent made her spin around, her   
black raven hair just missing the tongues of flame.  
  
"What the...?" She asked. Two of the girls in   
her vision stood before her, accompanied by a cat.  
  
"Hello, Rei." The one that was mainly dressed   
in silver said. "I'm Sailor Moon."  
  
"You could have tried that with me." The one   
in blue grumbled.  
  
"You were asleep!" Sailor Moon retorted.   
"This is Sailor Mercury. We are here because--"  
  
"I'm supposed to fight. Yes, I know. I've   
been having these visions for a while, now." Rei   
got to her feet. "Ever since Beryl took over."  
  
"Then you know of the mission." The cat said.  
  
"I just know that Beryl is not supposed to be   
on that throne." Rei said. "And I'd like to help   
take it away from her."  
  
"Oo-kay." Sailor Moon handed her a red and   
silver pen. "We already made Luna give it to us. It   
  
saves time." She explained.  
  
"Say Mars Prism Power Make Up." Luna said.   
  
"MARS PRISM POWER MAKE UP!" The world   
exploded in fire.  
  
***********************  
  
  
  
"Do we just pick off a youma?" Mars asked.   
They were crouched in the shadows, watching the   
youma go by. There was just usually one at a time,   
maybe two, at most.  
  
"I guess. Send them a warning, or something."   
Mercury said, unsure.  
  
"Come on. There's one right there." Sailor   
Moon pointed to one that was coming up the street.   
  
"Okay. Instant death, here we come." Mercury   
muttered as Sailor Moon jumped out of their hiding   
spot. The youma jumped, startled, and then   
recognized the fuku.  
  
"How dare you impersonate a senshi, you   
teenage brat." It growled.  
  
"How dare *you* call me a brat." Sailor Moon   
said. "And who's impersonating, you DNA mistake?  
  
"For Love and Justice, a pretty soldier in a   
sailor suit, Sailor Moon! I punish you in the name   
of the Moon!" She said. Mars and Mercury came out   
  
and stood behind her, Mars to her right and Mercury   
to her left.  
  
"For love and justice, I am Sailor Mercury!"  
  
"In the name of Mars, I am Sailor Mars!" The   
introduced themselves. The youma had taken a step   
back.  
  
"You are in violation of Act 45, part 6. Your   
punishment is Death." It said in a shaking voice.  
  
"Oh, really?" Mars asked. "What a pity. I'm   
afraid we won't go quietly. MARS SPIRALING VORTEX!"   
She shouted. A huge funnel of fire appeared in her   
hands, which she threw at the youma.   
  
"Ahh!" The youma screamed, and was blown   
back, singed and burned.  
  
"AQUA HALLUCINATION WHIRL!" Mercury spun   
around, like a dancer, water collecting in a   
rainbow mass above her head. She pointed one   
finger in the air. The mass solidified into a   
sphere. She pointed at the youma.  
  
It had no time to dodge. It was trapped in a   
block of ice.  
  
"My turn!" Sailor Moon said. She pulled out a   
staff that was just a few inches shorter than she.   
A gold crescent moon was at the top, energy   
sparkling in it's center. "Moon Lovely Rainbow   
Kiss." She said, and pointed the staff at the   
helpless youma. It exploded into dust.  
  
"Somehow, I think we caught that one off   
guard. They aren't always going to be this easy."   
Mars said thoughtfully.  
  
"I know. But this is their warning." A cold   
glint was in Sailor Moon's eye.  
  
***********************  
  
  
A girl lay asleep in her bed, blankets over   
her head.   
  
Unbeknownst to her, a snake, with a unique   
symbol on it's hood, slithered toward her bed,   
climbing up the bed post until it hovered over the   
girl.  
  
Venom dripped from it's razor sharp fangs.   
But it did not bite.  
  
It just hovered there, as a shadow grew. A   
shadow of a woman.  
  
The girl sat up, her face hidden by the   
shadows. A silent scream of terror tried to escape   
her throat.  
  
"Beware of the dark... the shadows are   
near..." A woman's voice echoed.   
  
"What do you want?" The girl asked. A knife   
was in the hand of the woman. Lightning blazed   
outside the window.   
  
No thunder.  
  
The room was lit up in burning splendor for a   
brief second, lighting the woman's face. Her hair   
was the darkest of browns, long, and flowing. Her   
eyes were purple, filled with sadness and regret.   
  
She wore a senshi fuku.  
  
"I am so sorry." She whispered. No words   
escaped her throat, but the girl on the bed sensed   
her thoughts.  
  
"Whatever for?" The girl asked.  
  
"Run. What was true is now a lie. What was a   
lie is now true. Beryl does not know of you yet,   
but soon truths shall be revealed.   
  
"I gave my life to change the future. My soul   
haunts the dreams of the damned. I am here to tell   
you... beware. The Dark is upon us all. You are one   
of a team. Fight, please, fight.   
  
"I thought it would be different, but I was   
wrong." The woman said, a tear tracing down her   
cheek.  
  
"Who are you?" The girl asked, scared out of   
her wits.  
  
"I was a senshi."  
  
"Who am I?"  
  
"That is yet to be determined. Only you can   
decide that."  
  
"What can I do? I'm just a girl...""Beware   
the Dark. It is a snake... ready to bite..." The   
woman faded from view. The girl spun around, coming   
face to face with the cobra. Once more, the room   
was lit with the fire of lightning.   
  
The girl was Usagi.  
  
The cobra struck just as the thunder roared.  
  
  
********************  
  
  
Usagi woke up, a scream stuck in her throat,   
drenched in sweat.  
  
Luna slept on. A thunder storm was at it's   
peak, rain beating against the window like a drum.  
  
Usagi stared at the wall.  
  
It was like someone had flipped a switch in   
her brain. It had been off, closed to the horrors.   
Closed to the pains and terror of the rebels.   
Closed off like an innocent child's. She had not   
looked around. When they told her to close her   
eyes, she had.  
  
No more.   
  
It was on. Everything that she had once found   
safe and secure was gone. Her hand went up to grasp   
the locket around her neck.   
  
It made her feel safe. She loved that   
feeling. She realized, that for the last three   
years, she had not felt that.   
  
Beware of the Dark.  
  
The words echoed in her thoughts.   
  
"It was just a dream, Usagi. Get over it."   
She said, taking deep breaths.  
  
She threw away the quilt, as the room had   
suddenly grew hot. She wrapped up in the top-sheet,   
and threw her hand over the pillow to fluff it up.  
  
Her hand hit something sticky.  
  
She sprang up, searching, reaching for her   
lamp's switch.   
  
Light flooded the room, making her feel just   
a bit better. Slowly, she turned to the pillow.  
  
She excepted to see the blue pillowcase.  
  
She saw red. Blood soaked her pillow.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
  
*********************************   
  
  
  
"Usagi?!" Luna sprang up. Usagi blinked. The   
red was gone, replaced by the pillowcase. The door   
burst open, her mother and father running in.  
  
"Usagi? What's wrong?" Ikuko asked.  
  
"Nothing, Mom." Usagi forced a smile. "Bad   
dreams, I guess. I'll be fine." She noticed her   
hands were shaking.  
  
"Oh." Kenji tried to sooth his pumping heart.   
Visions of youma had seeped into his mind when he   
heard the scream. "Well, get to sleep, Hime-chan."   
he said.  
  
"Night-night." Ikuko gave her shaken daughter   
one last glance before turning off the light and   
closing the door.   
  
Luna pounced on her protégée.  
  
"What's wrong?" She asked.  
  
"Luna, there is something bad going on...   
where the hell did I put that damn communicator..."   
Usagi picked up the pink object. Luna noticed how   
the girl trembled as she hit the button that   
summoned Mars.  
  
After about three minutes, a very sleepy and   
cranky Rei picked it up.  
  
"Wha is ith?" She mumbled.  
  
"Rei, get to your fire thingie! Now! Don't   
look at me like that. Ask it about the youma." Rei   
muttered a few 'adjectives' and the screen went   
black. Usagi heard mumbling, and saw a blaze of   
orange. Rei picked it back up, pale and no longer   
asleep.  
  
"Usagi, call Ami. They're doing a raid." Rei   
said.   
  
  
  
  
Luna nearly fell over.  
  
Raids were what everyone feared.   
  
Youma and loyal soldiers would break into a   
home, do whatever they liked with the women, and   
then beat the men until they revealed the location   
of the safe or hidden money.   
  
Then, they would be murdered.  
  
The worst thing was, there was no warning.   
The youma needed no excuse. When they felt like   
torturing someone, they picked a random house and   
then...  
  
I'll spare you most of the details.  
  
"Okay, Rei. Where at?"  
  
"It's just a few blocks from your house, from   
what I saw. The fire can be vague." The screen went   
blank. Usagi quickly called Ami and told her. Then,   
she held up her locket.  
  
"Usagi-chan, that was one youma. There will   
be at least three, and soldiers!" Luna protested.  
  
"Luna, we must try." Usagi said. She   
summoned her will. "MOON SILVER POWER, MAKE *UP*!"   
She ordered.  
  
Luna watched while the girl transformed, and   
then jumped to the window. Like magic, the rain was   
ceasing.  
  
Was it the light? Luna wondered. Could it be   
the light was returning, and the darkness was   
slowly fading?  
  
"Okay. I need you to stay here in case my mom   
comes back. Put your face into the pillow and   
mumble." Sailor Moon told the cat as she stuffed   
pillows under the blankets until it looked enough   
like a human form. "I'll be back." She flashed Luna   
the V for Victory sign as she dropped out of the   
window.  
  
"I do hope so, Usagi, my Hime-chan."  
  
************************  
  
  
  
"It's freezing!" Mercury complained, standing   
in the shadows, where they were listening for   
anything unusual.   
  
"Come on. I hear screams." Mars whispered.   
Sailor Moon had her staff out, grimly running   
toward the house with the crashing sounds and   
yelling.   
  
The neighbors wouldn't do anything. They   
would simply lay there and pretend they didn't hear   
it.   
  
If they tried to interfere, their family   
could and would be killed before their eyes and   
then they would be drowned in ice.  
  
Nice place to live, huh?  
  
"Alright. Here's our break." Sailor Moon   
murmured, and kicked open the door. A youma met her   
eyes. With a swift movement, the end of her staff   
connected with it's skull, making a cracking sound   
as the youma fell, unconscious... or dead.  
  
"Good move." Mars said, stepping over it.   
Sailor Moon took the stairs in two leaps, Mercury   
and Mars behind her. Mercury kicked open the   
bedroom door. A man was tied up, two soldiers   
kicking him brutally, enjoying his screams of pain.   
The entrance of the girls went unnoticed to them.   
In the corner, a youma was terrorizing a woman that   
looked like the guy's wife. That left at least one   
youma and maybe a few soldiers missing. Sailor Moon   
spun around. She could take care of these, she felt   
it.  
  
"Mars, you go search for anything else. Who   
knows what they're doing to whoever else is in   
here. Merc, go with her. It's just a youma and some   
guys. It should be a piece of cake."  
  
Famous last words.  
  
"Okay-- yell if you need help." Mercury   
seemed unsure about leaving their leader. Mars   
grabbed her wrist and ran down the hallway, kicking   
open doors.   
  
Sailor Moon turned her attentions to the   
youma. She took a deep breath, and then slammed her   
staff on the floor.  
  
BAM!  
  
"Alright, you sleaze. Let them go." She said.   
"An agent of Love and Justice, I am Sailor Moon!"   
She narrowed her eyes as they laughed at her. The   
couple had hope in their eyes, that maybe, somehow,   
this girl with the confident pose could save them.   
  
Weird people, huh?  
  
"A child impersonating dead warriors?" one of   
the soldiers was nearly doubled over. "Beryl's   
going to have a field day with this one. Frank, tie   
her up while we finish here. She can watch." He   
said to the other guy. Sailor Moon fought down   
giggles.  
  
'Yeah, come on. Tie me up. Take another step,   
buddy-boy. Come on.' She thought, golden energy   
gathering in the center of the crescent moon of her   
staff.   
  
Frank went unnoticed to her thoughts.   
  
"Moon Beam." She murmured. A blast of white   
erupted from her hand. She ignored the searing   
pain she felt as the power traveled through her   
body and hit Frank square in the chest, knocking   
him back *through* the wall. The youma and the guy   
stopped in their tracks and stared at the large   
hole in the wall. They turned to her.  
  
Sailor Moon was thankful the debris of the   
wall hid the certainly dead man from her view.  
  
"Yeah, Beryl's gonna have a field day   
alright! A senshi! ALIVE!" the youma roared. "She's   
gonna have a field day with our ASSES!"  
  
"She won't have the chance." Sailor Moon   
said. She quickly took out the soldier before he   
was able to jerk the gun from his holster. He   
landed beside his friend.   
  
She was able to see him.  
  
A bloody hole was though his chest, making   
his insides clear to her eyes. His eyes were glazed   
over, lifeless. His skin stained red by the frantic   
pouring of blood. Blood burbled from his lips.  
  
  
A face-off. The youma and Sailor Moon circled   
each other, waiting for the other to make the first   
move.   
  
The couple watched in fascination and terror.  
  
The youma leapt for Sailor Moon, claw   
outstretched. She blocked him with her staff. She   
kicked at him. He jumped away. She clunked him in   
the head with her staff. He swung at her,   
connecting with her jaw. She staggered back,   
stunned.   
  
The youma took advantage of the moment. With   
one razor hand, he slashed a scarlet mark that went   
from two inches above her navel to her side, almost   
hitting where the ribs and spine connected, cutting   
deep. She stumbled, then rose to her full height.   
  
"MOON LOVELY RAINBOW KISS!" She screamed. The   
youma burst into dust. She fell back against the   
  
wall, trying to stop the blood with one hand.  
  
"Dammit." She murmured, almost passing out   
from the pain. The woman, realizing the danger was   
gone, jumped into action. She was a calm, rational   
woman by nature. She knew the girl was hurt.  
  
She ran to the bathroom, grabbed some cloth   
and some antiseptic and ran back, She knelt beside   
Sailor Moon, who had her teeth clenched from the   
pain.  
  
"You're bleeding pretty bad." The woman   
stated the obvious.  
  
"Oh, god." Sailor Moon muttered. The woman   
wiped away what blood she could, but the bodice of   
the fuku was almost completely stained red. She put   
the medicine and wrapped the cloth around it.  
  
"You'll need to see a doctor."   
  
"No! Are you crazy? The Dark Kingdom runs the   
world. I walk into a hospital like this, I'm dead.   
I can barely fight off one youma by myself..."   
Sailor Moon moaned. She stood up, leaning on her   
staff. "Thank you."  
  
"It's okay... my god... Beth..." The woman   
ran for the door.   
  
"Mars and Mercury..." Sailor Moon followed   
behind her, limping as fast as she could with aid   
of the staff. Already blood was showing through the   
bandage.  
  
"AQUA HALLUCINATION WHIRL!" They heard. The   
door was nearly blown off it's hinges. The woman   
and Sailor Moon fell into the room. Mars and   
Mercury were standing in front of a young girl,   
about seven, with some minor scratches. A pile off   
dust and three dead bodies lay scattered about the   
room.  
  
Murder. What they were doing was no better,   
perhaps, than what the soldiers had been about to   
do.  
  
Was it?  
  
"Usa-- Sailor Moon!" Mercury yelled, and ran   
to help her friend.  
  
"I'm okay... Come on, before the police get   
here." Sailor Moon whispered.   
  
"Ja ne!" Mars yelled to Beth and her mother,   
as they helped Sailor Moon from the house and into   
an alley.  
  
"There's a hospital about a block from here.   
if we dehenshin, we can get her to it and tell   
them...." Mercury searched her mind. "A girl came   
in with something like this. She said she'd   
stumbled onto a mad dog." She powered down. Mars   
followed. Sailor Moon hesitated.  
  
"I don't know if I can... the pain's bad   
enough when I'm super-human..."  
"Come on, you baby." Rei teased. Sailor Moon   
clenched her teeth and powered down in a flash of   
light. She was in a pair of shorts and a tank top,   
appropriate for the time of the year.   
  
"Um, Ami... you better get home. You've a   
mother that will probably check up on you. Luna's   
saving for me." Usagi said, her teeth clenched.   
  
"I'll go with you." Rei said. "Grandpa   
doesn't wake up until I wake him."  
  
"Okay. Call me first thing in the morning,   
Usagi-chan." Ami said, backing up a few steps,   
before running off.   
  
"Damn..." Usagi let out her breath in a big   
whoosh. She sucked it back in as new pain   
overwhelmed her.  
  
"Come on." Rei said, putting Usagi's arm   
around her shoulder.  
  
**************************  
  
  
  
"I need a doctor!" Rei yelled, pushing open   
the emergency room doors. By now, the blood had   
soaked the bandage and was running down Usagi's   
leg. She was only half conscious.  
  
"Make the room stop swirling..." She   
muttered, wondering why she barely felt the pain   
anymore.  
  
"Right!" A man, with black hair and dark blue   
eyes threw aside the chart he had been looking at   
and yelled some ordered at a nurse. He ran to Rei   
and Usagi, picking the girl up.  
  
"What happened?" he barked.  
  
"We were attacked by a mad dog... it was   
crazy or something." Rei said, using the alibi Ami   
had provided.   
  
"Uh-huh. How long has she been like this?"   
  
"Just a few minutes. She's strong.. she was   
totally conscious a few minutes ago... will she be   
okay?" Rei worried. They lifted her on a bed.  
  
"I think so. I'm Dr. Chiba."  
  
"Hino ..." Can't give your real name, girl.   
"Iku. Hino Iku." She supplied. "Her name is Hino   
Serena. She's my sister."  
  
'Yeah, right. And I'm her brother. And here's   
no way this was made by a dog.' Dr. Chiba scoffed   
to himself. He just nodded and removed the hasty   
bandage. A nurse came to clean out the wound and   
re-bandage it. Rei watched, not flinching.   
  
  
  
~Ten Minutes Later~~  
  
  
Dr. Chiba pulled Rei aside into his office.   
  
He was an extraordinary case. he was only   
nineteen, but had his MD, thanks to the war.   
Doctors had been needed then and anyone with any   
experience whatsoever was slapped with a diploma and   
shoved onto the battle fields before they could   
blink.  
  
"What is it? Isn't she okay?" Rei asked.  
  
"I know you're lying." He said. Rei opened   
her mouth to protest.  
  
"But--"  
  
"No, it's okay. I know you're not going to   
tell me what happened. I probably don't want to   
know. That wound was made with a sharp object."  
  
"I don't know how she got it." Rei murmured.  
  
"I figured. The good news is she's fine. As   
soon as she wakes up, you can leave. She won't even   
have to come back for the removal of the stitches.   
They'll fall out when the cut is gone. She lost a   
lot of blood, so she'll need to take it easy."  
  
'Like that's happening.' Rei thought to   
herself.  
  
"Fine, Dr. Chiba." Rei sighed.  
  
"Call me Mamoru."  
  
"Okay. I've got to go wake her up. Her   
parents are going to kill me."   
  
"I figured she wasn't your sister either."  
  
"Oh, in some ways." Rei said. Mamoru looked   
at her strangely, but let her exit the office. She   
all but ran to Usagi's room.  
  
"Usagi, wake up right now. We've to get out   
of here before the cops come asking questions." Rei   
whispered, shaking the girl.   
  
Rei hoped that their parents wouldn't notice   
the scratches and bruises they all had.  
  
"I'm up..." Usagi moaned. "Just so tired...   
and it hurts...."  
  
"I know. But Luna can't put on your clothes   
and go to school for you. Come on girl." Rei helped   
her stand up. "If the cops come around asking about   
any girls injured that just walked in, they're   
going to point them to us. I've given them fake   
names, and the way we're all scuffed up should   
throw them off with descriptions." Rei explained,   
as they walked to the doors.   
  
"Okay. We live in opposite directions. I can   
make it. Bye, Rei-chan."  
  
"Bye, Usagi-chan. Tell Luna we're okay." Rei   
yelled as she ran off. Usagi closed her eyes and   
took two deep breathes before almost falling.  
  
"Dammit." She murmured.   
  
A hand was on her shoulder. She spun around,   
only to look into the eyes of the doctor that   
treated her.  
  
"What do you want?" She snapped.  
  
"Ouch. Cobra." He chuckled. "Actually, I was   
wondering if you needed a ride home. I know you're   
in too much pain to walk, no matter what you told   
your friend."  
  
Usagi blushed. 'He was trying to be nice,   
baka, and you nearly bit his head off.'  
  
"Okay... I guess. but aren't you--"  
  
"Working? No, I just got off." he said. "I'm   
Mamoru. My car's over there." He pointed to a black   
Mercedes.  
  
  
  
***********************  
  
  
"Where do you live?" He asked, after he had   
drove for a few minutes. Usagi hesitated before   
giving him an address from the street next to   
hers.  
  
"That's where the old Juuban district was,   
eh? My school was there. I go there everyday   
almost, to see my friend, Motoki. He runs the   
arcade."  
  
"I know him." Usagi said, offhandedly.  
  
"Uh-hmm." Mamoru glanced at her. Her hair was   
tangled and filled with dust. Dirt and blood was   
streaked across her face. The rest of her body   
wasn't much better.  
  
"You look like you've been in the middle of a   
gang fight." He said, thoughtfully.  
  
"Hardly."   
  
"Then what happened? Your friend just said   
she didn't know how you got it, although she tried   
to throw a mad dog story at us. The same thing   
happened with a girl last year. Didn't believe her,   
either."  
  
"I'm not about to tell you."  
  
"Attitude, huh? That's what you get for   
trying to make civilized conversation these days."   
He shook his head.  
  
"I just want to go home, get into the bath   
without waking my parents, and try to sleep. I   
stress TRY."   
  
"You're a tough one, huh? What are you doing   
at this hour, anyways?"  
  
"Bad dreams."  
  
"Must have been one hell of a dream."  
  
"I wish." Usagi rolled her eyes and watched   
the neon lights of the stores pass by the windows.  
  
She was thinking. The last thing she wanted   
to do was remember how she had killed those   
soldiers.   
  
Youma were one thing. Soldiers, well, they   
were at least PART human.  
  
"Wish what?"  
  
"That is was a dream." She said, trying to   
force the images from her head. "Maybe it was.   
Maybe I'll wake up in a few seconds, and this will   
all be one big dream. I've already had my share of   
nightmares tonight."  
  
"Nightmares?" Mamoru asked. 'Maybe if I get   
her guard down she'll tell me what happened. I   
don't know why, but I feel like I have to protect   
her.'  
  
"Yeah. The old, someone comes to warn you   
then a cobra flies at your head. The warning scares   
the crap out of you anyway, but the snake...."   
Usagi shuddered.   
  
"Warning? What warning?" Mamoru inquired.   
Usagi turned in the seat to stare at him.  
  
"She said, Beware of the Dark. The Shadows   
are near." The words came back to he, floating in   
her mind, like the winds on a sunny day...  
  
"The dark? Why would anyone be afraid of the   
dark?"  
  
"Don't laugh at her, dammit. That means   
something. Beware of Beryl, you fool. Don't you get   
it? The evil lurk in the shadows, for they cannot   
exist in the light. They are the Dark. The one who   
holds the light must shine it into the corners,   
destroy them. I must destroy Beryl... for I am the   
only one who can." Usagi said, without thinking.  
  
"Are you okay?" Mamoru felt her forehead,   
leaving one hand to drive the car. "No fever..."  
  
"Let me out here. I can walk." Usagi said.   
"One who does not see Beryl is evil is blind. But   
even the Blind know it." Mamoru shrugged as he   
stopped the car, a few blocks from Usagi's house.   
She jumped out of the car. "Arigato for the ride."]  
  
**************************  
  
  
  
"Good God, Usagi! You look awful! What   
happened?" Luna was nearly beside her self in shock   
and worry when Usagi climbed through her window,   
looking like she did, covered in blood.  
  
The sun was peeking up over the horizon.  
  
"I got hit. I'm okay... really. I powered   
down and got some stitches. I need a shower... God,   
Luna, here's my communicator. Call Ami and Rei and   
tell them I'm fine." She threw the pink thing at   
the bed before disappearing into the bathroom.  
  
The sounds of the water hid her crying from   
the cat.  
  
'What have I done?' Usagi asked herself, as   
she stood under the hot water, as hot as she could   
make it go. 'I nearly got myself killed, I   
*killed*...'  
  
'They would have killed you unless you did   
what you did.'  
  
'I should have found another way...'  
  
'What could you have done? Ask them to leave,   
all polite? You saw how those two soldiers reacted.   
Beryl must have told them about you. It's a good   
thing you left that youma alive... now Beryl will   
have a huge threat. She'll panic. She'll be   
furious. Those will distract her.'  
  
'Oh, my god. I hadn't thought about that   
youma.'  
  
"Usagi? Is that you?" Ikuko knocked on the   
door. "It's time to get up, honey."  
  
'It is?' "Yeah, Mom. Decided to get up early.   
I'll be out in a minute."  
  
"Okay, honey. Just hurry, okay? You've got   
that big test tomorrow."  
  
"Kay, Mama." Usagi hurriedly washed her hair   
and face and body, carefully avoiding the stitches.   
She knew they probably should not be under water,   
but any extra pain she got, she figured she   
deserved.  
  
Turning the water off, she dried herself. She   
threw on a pair of pants, wrapped an ace bandage   
around her side, and put on a bunny t-shirt.   
  
She didn't put up her odango. They reminded   
her of Sailor Moon.  
  
"Usagi-chan, hurry up." Luna said, coming in.   
"Ami's here. She wants to walk you to school. She   
looks almost as tired as you do."  
  
"Coming." Usagi threw her bag over her   
shoulder and trudged down the stairs as fast as she   
could without tearing her side open. Ami stood in   
the living room, talking to Ikuko.  
  
"Hey, Usagi-chan. Come on, if we hurry, we   
can make study hall." Ami said.   
  
"Bye, Mama. See you later." 'If I'm not   
dead.'  
  
"Okay. Sayonara." Ikuko called, as Usagi and   
Ami walked out the door. The walked for a few   
blocks in silence.  
  
"Rei says you were pretty out of it." Ami   
said at last.  
  
"Yeah." Usagi replied. No matter what she   
thought of, her thoughts always went back to last   
night.  
  
"Oh, my god!" Ami looked at her watch, then   
back at Usagi. "Can you run?"  
  
"Why? I think so."  
  
"Because we're SO late!"  
  
"Oh!" Usagi shrieked, at took of as fast as   
she could go, which was pretty fast.   
  
"I think we'll make it..." Usagi gasped.  
  
"Maybe... USAGI! WATCH OUT!" Ami yelled.  
  
CRASH!  
  
Usagi ran right into someone. She fell back,   
landing on the concrete.  
  
"Oh, no! Dammit..." She moaned, as pain shot   
up her side. "Stupid damn stitches." She muttered.  
  
"Oh, gomen... I wasn't looking where I was   
going..." A man's hand came down to help her up.   
Usagi stood up.   
  
Blue met blue.  
  
The man and Usagi stared at each other.  
  
"Oh, no..." For a moment, the pain was   
forgotten.  
  
"Hey, you're that girl..." Mamoru said.  
  
"Come on, Ami." Usagi growled, trying to push   
past him.   
  
"But Usagi--"  
  
"I said, come on."   
  
"Uh-uh, *Usagi*. How's your side?" Mamoru   
asked. Ami's eyes widened, and her jaw fell.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about."   
Usagi pushed past him and into the school gates.   
Ami followed her.  
  
Mamoru shook his head as he walked down the   
street a ways and into a building marked CROWN   
ARCADE.  
  
"Hey, Mamoru-kun. How's it going?" A blonde   
man behind the counter turned to get a coffee,   
black.  
  
"Just thinking, Motoki." Mamoru said.   
  
"Wow, there's something you don't see   
everyday. Star Scholar Thinks. There's a headline."  
  
"Not funny."  
  
"Okay, what's up? A girl? Nah... not the Ice-  
Man..." Motoki teased.  
  
"Actually, yes." Mamoru replied. Motoki was   
shocked into silence for a minute. Then, he   
practically jumped over the counter and onto the   
stool beside his friend.  
  
"Uh-uh! No way! Who?"  
  
"I think her name's Usagi... I'm not sure."  
  
"Usagi? As in *Tsukino* Usagi? She comes in   
here almost everyday. Nice girl. She hasn't been in   
here the last couple days, though. I've seen her   
walk by, though. Blonde hair? Blue eyes? About   
fourteen..."  
  
"Yeah. She was dragged into the hospital last   
night by this girl with dark hair. They were both   
scratched up pretty bad, but Usagi was bleeding   
heavily, from this huge gash in her side. The other   
girl tried to throw this bogus story at me. I   
stitched her up and drove her home..."  
  
"Usagi? We must be talking about different   
people here. Usagi wouldn't harm a fly... let   
alone come in like that. Why don't you come around   
after school let's out... she'll probably be here.   
I'll point Usagi out and you can tell me if it's   
her."  
  
"I'm pretty sure. She was with a girl with,   
get this, BLUE hair, and she ran into me, and   
knocked me down. The other girl called her Usagi."  
  
***************************  
  
  
  
"Tsukino Usagi, Mizuno Ami. You're tardy."   
Haruna-sensei said. "That's an hour's detention."  
  
"Haruna-sensei, may I see you in the hall,   
please?" Usagi asked. She knew Ami had never had   
detention and wasn't about to get her in trouble.  
  
"Yes, Usagi?" Haruna shut the door after   
them.  
  
"Haruka-sensei, please do not hold Ami-chan   
accountable for this. She was helping me. I can't   
walk very fast." Usagi said.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I fell-- on a fence." Usagi lifted her shirt   
up a few inches and pulled down the ace bandage, revealing the jagged   
cut and the stitches. Haruka paled.  
  
"Of course not. Did you have trouble getting   
to school? That looks nasty."  
  
"No, I just could not walk fast."  
  
"Oh. I'll let your tardies go until it heals,   
Usagi. But you might want to start earlier,   
tomorrow."  
  
"Hai, Haruna-sensei."  
  
  
  
  
"Hey, Motoki. School out yet?" Mamoru walked   
into the arcade for the second time that day. All   
day, at the hospital, his thoughts centered on the   
blonde girl. Funny, most girls most have been half   
scared out of their wits if a man had came up and   
offered them a ride. And again when he approached   
them for the second time.  
  
Usagi hadn't been scared. She had been ready   
to fight.  
  
"Almost." Motoki answered. He opened his   
mouth to say something, but was cut off by a faint   
ringing sound.  
  
"There's the bell. Wait for it. In about ten   
minutes, half the student population of Juuban will   
come crowding in here." He said.  
  
"Do you think she'll come?" He asked.  
  
"Wow, you're really stuck on this girl. You   
like her, ne?"  
  
"Not that way, Motoki. Get your head out of   
the gutter. I'm just worried about her."  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"I am!"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Bite me."  
  
"Here they come." Motoki motioned to the door   
as the streets were suddenly filled with student.   
walking, talking, laughing.   
  
****************************  
  
  
"Ami, Rei said she'd meet us here." Usagi   
motioned to the arcade. During her lunch break, she   
had gone into the bathroom and put her odango back   
up.  
  
She missed them.  
  
"Okay. Come on, let's get a table before   
they're taken." Ami smiled, and pulled Usagi into   
the arcade.  
  
"Geez! Slow down! You're going to break me."   
Usagi whined.  
  
"Come on. If you move around, maybe your cut   
will heal."   
  
"Or maybe it'll kill me." Usagi sat down at a   
booth, Ami across from her. "Dammit, it hurts. I   
never thought I'd be such a baby, but it hurts. I   
don't mean 'Oh, mommy, the beetle bit me' hurts, I   
mean, 'Oh mommy, that gun just blew off my arm'   
hurts."  
  
Ami laughed. "You should be a comedian,   
Usagi."  
  
"Get real. What's there to laugh at.   
Everywhere I go, I see Beryl. Beryl Beryl Beryl."  
  
Over at the bar, Motoki pointed to Usagi.  
  
"That's Usagi." He said.  
  
"That's her." Mamoru answered. She had her   
hair put up, but it was most definitely her. "And   
that girl's the one that was with her this   
morning."  
  
"Usagi got into a fight. I can't picture   
that." Motoki shook his head. "I've watched her.   
She'd come in here, play some games, order a shake,   
and go out. Always smiling."  
  
"Well, she wasn't smiling last night. She   
looked like she was ready to kill."  
  
"How strange." Motoki murmured.  
  
"And there's that girl who brought her into   
the hospital." Mamoru pointed to a girl who had   
just walked in and sat down with Usagi and her   
friend.  
  
"Rei, we've got problems. I ran into that   
doctor that stitched me up. He not only recognized   
me, but now he knows my NAME." Usagi put her head   
down on the table.  
  
"Oh, no." Rei muttered.  
  
"Yeah. You know, he'd be cute if he wasn't   
stalking Usagi." Ami said thoughtfully.  
  
"Stalking?" Usagi and Rei asked at the same   
time.  
  
"Yeah, he's right over there." Ami said,   
pointing at Mamoru, who was talking with Motoki.  
  
"Shit. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Usagi   
asked, banging her head against the table.  
  
"I thought you noticed."  
  
"*sigh* How am I supposed to notice when my   
back's to him?"  
  
"Okay. He can't exactly do anything to us,   
nor can he prove our names or that we were even at   
the hospital." Rei said, calm. "So, we're in the   
clear. And if he does prove to be a threat, we can   
*ahem* dispose of him."  
  
"Rei!" Ami gasped.  
  
"Ami-chan, this is a war where the enemy has   
the upper hand. We can take no chances." Rei   
explained.  
  
"You've got a point, Rei. Ami, watch him."   
Usagi said, staring at the table.  
  
"Oh, you'll be able to do that." Ami said,   
still in her dreamland.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"He's coming over here, with that cute guy   
from the counter. Motoki?"  
  
Usagi reached over and grabbed Ami's collar,   
jerking her out of dreamland.  
  
"What?!" She croaked.  
  
"Oh, no." Rei murmured. "Will anyone mind if   
I duck underneath the table?"  
  
"Hello, Usagi-chan." Motoki said. "Can I sit   
down?"   
  
"Why not?" Usagi moaned, knowing well that   
Mamoru would probably sit down too. Ami scooted   
over to make room for the two guys.  
  
"Heh heh." Rei looked away.  
  
"What do you want *now*, Mamoru-san?" Usagi   
kept her head on the table, not bothering to look   
up.  
  
"To prove to Motoki it was you at the   
hospital."  
  
"Great. Listen to me. Go away." Usagi mumbled   
into the table.  
  
"Come on, Odango Atama."   
  
"What. Did. You. Call. Me?" Usagi sat up.  
  
"Odango Atama. Because of your hair." he   
grinned.   
  
"Hey, dude! The TV just went on, all by   
itself!!" A guy's voice, from in the back, yelled.   
Motoki and Mamoru spun around. Sure enough, the TV   
was on.  
  
Freaky.  
  
Jadeite, one of the top generals of Beryl's   
army, appeared on the screen. Usagi quickly pulled   
her buns out. She didn't need to look like Sailor   
Moon.  
  
"THIS IS A WARNING TO THE THREE GIRLS THAT   
ARE IMPERSONATING WARRIORS. IF YOU CONTINUE TO KILL   
OUR SOLDIERS, I WILL COME AFTER YOU." He said.  
  
Usagi, Rei and Ami were on full alert.  
  
"This is bull." Rei whispered. "Why the hell   
would anyone be scared of him?" The TV flickered   
out.  
  
"Girls? They're warning girls?" Mamoru asked.   
Motoki nodded.   
  
"It was on the news. Three girls wearing   
sailor fukus broke up a raid. They killed the youma   
and the soldiers, saving the people. The wife said   
they shot ice and magic out of their hands. I   
thought it was a publicity stunt, but not if the   
general's are investigating it."  
  
"We've got to go, guys. Seeya." Rei helped   
Usagi up. Motoki and Mamoru got up to let Ami out.  
  
***********************  
  
  
Dammit, I knew she'd be freaked. But a   
*general*?!" Luna paced back and forth. "This is   
bad. They know about how old you are. They'll send   
youma to attack the schools to weed you out.   
  
"No matter what, do *NOT* henshin in front of   
anyone other than yourselves." Luna decided. They   
were gathered at Rei's temple, because Usagi had a   
little brother that might spy on them, and Ami's   
house was probably bugged, as her mother was a   
doctor and a scientist.  
  
They hoped not.  
  
"Okay. So, what if someone figures it out?"   
Ami asked.   
  
"Well, there is a disguise field that   
protects you from cameras and videos, etc. The   
magic that is associated with your fukus will keep   
people from guessing. So, unless you henshin in   
front of someone or tell them, you should be   
relatively safe. Unless, it's another senshi.   
Senshi are able to see through disguises." Luna   
explained. Ami nodded, while typing on her computer   
Luna had just given her.  
  
"So, we're okay, unless one of us goofs."   
Usagi concluded. "But a general? Jadeite, too. He's   
probably the coldest man in the universe."  
  
"I think he's kinda cute." Rei said, while   
staring into the fire.  
  
"Are you crazy?" Usagi and Luna asked at the   
same time.   
  
"I don't know. I'm listening to a talking cat   
who is talking about magic and telling us not to   
turn into super heroines who shoot fire and ice and   
whatever out of their hands to kill creatures that   
look like DNA mistakes. Am I crazy? I dunno. I'll   
have to ask the ceiling. It usually has helpful   
advise." She said, smiling.  
  
"She's one for the loony bin." Usagi   
whispered.  
  
"What about Mamoru? If they go around asking   
about anyone who was injured, because you spilled a   
lot of blood in there, Usagi-chan, he'll say, 'Oh,   
yeah. A girl who looks like Sailor Moon came in   
here bleeding half to death. He knows your name."   
Ami asked.  
  
"We could kill him." Usagi said thoughtfully.   
"But a cold-blooded murder like that is too Nega-  
verse-ish for me."  
  
"Mercury could drown him." Rei suggested.  
  
"I would not. You've got fire. You toast   
him."  
  
"No one's going to drown or cook anyone."   
Luna sighed, and did a back flip. A green henshin   
wand fell to the floor.  
  
"What's that?" Rei asked.  
  
"This is Sailor Jupiter's henshin stick. We   
must find her. Usagi, since you're the princess, I   
bet you could sense her. Just reach out, during the   
day where-ever, and if you feel something, it's   
probably her, or another senshi. And if Rei or   
Ami's not around, you just have to pin-point the   
source. Then, sorta, I dunno, try to befriend her.   
Find out her name. I can take it from there." The   
henshin wand disappeared.  
  
"So, we're looking for all the planets. What   
about Earth, Venus, and Saturn, and all the others,   
Luna?" Ami asked.  
  
"There is no senshi of Earth. Artemis is in   
England, looking for any other senshi he can find.   
But the outer senshi are different. And, besides   
that, we cannot access their wands anymore, which   
means there is a good chance they have been   
awakened."  
  
"How could they awaken without you or that   
other cat telling them and giving them their   
henshin wands?" Rei asked. Usagi was listening, an   
interested look on her face.  
  
"Well, in rare cases, they awaken themselves.   
The sub-conscious will give them dreams of their   
past selves, and the henshin wand would appear. If   
they took it, the memories would be returned.   
  
"Or, Sailor Pluto could have done it, if she   
felt there was need. Sailor Pluto is an immortal   
senshi, basically. She can see into the future and   
past." Luna said. "But she never interferes with   
the flows. So the chance of her awakening a senshi   
directly are slim."  
  
"Oh." Usagi said. "That's funny. I had a   
dream with a woman in a senshi fuku in it. That's   
what made me think something was up. She said she   
thought she would make things better, and   
apologized. I got the impression she was a ghost.   
She said, and I quote, Beware of the Darkness."  
  
"Beware of the darkness." Rei closed her eyes   
and chanted, over and over.   
  
The fire blazed up, almost touching the high   
ceiling. Rei's eyes flew open, pupils dilated. She   
stared into the flames, as they continued to lick   
at the air, seemingly rising higher.  
  
"Rei-chan! Wake up!" Ami shrieked. Usagi just   
watched the flames, trying to see what Rei saw. The   
fire died down. Rei jumped up, startled.  
  
"Rei! Rei! What did you see?" Luna demanded.  
  
"I saw a woman. She said the same thing,   
Beware the darkness, but she also said that the   
shadows are strong. We must fight as one.  
  
"She also told me that we must go to the   
theater day after tomorrow."  
  
************************  
  
  
  
"This would be much easier if Beryl didn't   
have control." Usagi moaned. "I don't want to go to   
the theater tomorrow. It's probably swarming with   
soldiers. Why the theater, anyway? The youma don't   
go there. What so special about the theater?"  
  
Dammit, if only air could talk.  
  
"Maybe it's not the theater." An idea dawned   
on her. She grabbed her jacket, scrawled out a   
hasty note for her mother and Luna, and ran off,   
grabbing her locket on the way out.   
  
Who knows when you may need to kick butt?  
  
She ran almost the whole way, but had to slow   
down as she approached it; she side was beginning   
to hurt again.   
  
It was a bit strange, how fast they healed.   
Maybe it had something to do with them being   
senshi. But all her wound was now was a slight   
scratch/scab thing. The stitches had begun to   
disappear, so Usagi knew it was getting better.  
  
The theater.   
  
'Okay, girl. Look around for anything the   
Nega-verse might want.' She instructed herself. She   
wander around the street, gazing in the windows of   
various shops, until she hit a curious one.   
  
"Sarik Konik." She read aloud.  
  
"Oh, yes! It's a very healing place to be." A   
woman, who had seemingly popped out of no where,   
said. "It heals your karma, makes you all peaced   
out, ya know? It's a whole new you."   
  
"No, thank you." A dark, pitted feeling in   
the bottom of her stomach made her uneasy. "I have   
to be home in a few, see you!" She ran off a ways   
and stopped. She pulled out her communicator.  
  
"Rei here. Sup?"  
  
"Ami here. What's wrong, Usagi?"  
  
"Guys, it's not the theater. It's a shop   
about half a block away from that. I'm at it right   
now, should we do something or wait until   
tomorrow?"  
  
"Are you sure?" Rei was skeptical.  
  
"Yes, I'm positive."  
  
"Okay. Um, Ami? I think she should go on   
ahead, and we'll get there ASAP."  
  
"That's okay with me." Ami said.  
  
"Alright. Usa out." She put up her   
communicator. Just as she was holding up her   
locket, a hand clamped down on her shoulder.  
  
"Odango-chan. Sup?"  
  
"Mamoru! Let me go!" She twisted from his   
grasp, hiding the locket behind her back. "I'm   
busy."  
  
"Sure you are." he said.  
  
"Go away!" She ran away, down the street and   
around the corner, and then she ducked into the   
alley way.  
  
"MOON SILVER POWER MAKE UP!" She shouted,   
before he could catch up to her. She ran back   
retracing her steps, scaring and freaking out a lot   
of people, Mamoru included.  
  
"It's that girl from the news." he said   
aloud. A tingling sensation in the back of his head   
sent shivers down his back. He felt the urge to   
run, and even though he tried to resist it, his   
feet moved as though they were their own.   
  
A magical aura appeared around him...  
  
********************  
  
  
"It's that girl."  
  
"The one the generals are after."  
  
"YOU GO GIRL!"  
  
"Catch her! She's worth millions."  
  
"Let her go! She'll save us all."  
  
"Hush, Robert. Do you want to be killed?" A   
chorus of voices rang out, as she ran by. Mamoru   
had detained her, made her loose time.  
  
Time was very precious.  
  
"Alright, you disgusting piece of Nega-  
trash." She opposed the woman who had tried to get   
her to go in the shop. "How dare you use tricks to   
steal energy. A pretty soldier in a sailor suit, I   
am Sailor Moon! I punish you in the name of moon!"  
  
"Oh, what have we here? Jadeite will love your   
head, deary. On a platter!" The woman twisted and   
snarled. A flash of dark light hid her from the   
view of the crowd.   
  
A youma, fierce and snarling, now stood not   
even four meters away from Sailor Moon, who didn't   
flinch.  
  
'Come on, senshi. This one's a lot bigger   
than the one's on that raid. It's almost like this   
was...'  
  
"A trap." She said aloud.  
  
"Oh, goodie. The sap has a brain. How   
surprising." It growled.  
  
"Of course I do." Sailor Moon said simply,   
taking out her staff. She struck it into the   
ground, stalling. "You're going to die. Why don't   
you give up and just go back to your 'Queen', and   
tell her about me? She'll reward you if you can   
give her a description, you know."   
  
A greedy glint appeared in the youma's eye.   
For a second, she thought the youma was really   
going to go away.   
  
"But a bigger reward shall come if I bring in   
your dead body!" It howled.  
  
"Oh, shit." She dodged, as it flew at her.   
Dammit, just when you think Luck is on your side...  
  
"WORLD SHAKING!" A ball of yellow energy   
zoomed past Sailor Moon and rammed into the youma,   
throwing it through the glass of the store.  
  
Ouch.  
  
Two Sailor Senshi, one with yellow bows and a   
blue skirt, the other with greenish bows and a dark   
blue-green skirt, came up on either side of Sailor   
Moon.  
  
"Good. Thanks for the help." Sailor Moon said   
gratefully. "You're the outer senshi."  
  
"Right, princess. Pluto has told us about   
your situation. I am Sailor Neptune, and this is   
Sailor Uranus."  
  
"Princess." Uranus said shortly. Her eyes   
never left the youma. At that moment, two things   
were on her mind. Kill the youma. Protect the   
princess.  
  
"I'm Sailor Moon, please."   
  
"DEEP SUBMERGE!" Neptune yelled, throwing the   
youma back yet again after it tried to crawl over   
the broken glass to resume it's fight.  
  
"Break up, both sides at once." Uranus said   
to her partner. She nodded, and they sprang up in   
the air. Without warning, the youma jumped out of   
the glass, heading for the one Beryl had ordered   
must be killed, at any cost.  
  
A rose blocked it's path.  
  
"MOON LOVELY RAINBOW KISS!" She shouted,   
taking the chance while the youma pondered over the   
razor sharp rose imbedded in the pavement.  
  
It exploded in dust just as Mars and Mercury   
made the scene.  
  
************************  
  
  
A woman, leaning on a key, watched a large   
mirror in front of her, worry etched into her face.  
  
"Dammit, it's all screwed up, all happening   
too fast." She whispered. "That's not right. But   
they needed help, and Jupiter is not ready to   
awake, and Venus is on her way. Saturn should only   
be awoken in case of extreme emergency. I am not   
allowed to fight unless the situation grows more   
dire. Sailor Moon is remembering all, much too   
fast. Their attacks are stronger than what it   
should be. Tuxedo Kamen is not the way he was   
supposed to be. Beryl has control." She ran through   
the list of her problems.   
  
And there was the problem of time.  
  
Since it was so messed up, she could only see   
about an hour into the future, correctly.  
  
An hour wasn't enough.  
  
She was Sailor Pluto, the hundredth link in a   
chain that would be miles long. Her real name was   
Setsuna Meioh.   
  
The moment she picked up the staff she new it   
was wrong.  
  
It would tale a miracle to fix it.  
  
And when you needed a miracle, you called on   
a Lunarian.  
  
*************************  
  
  
"Who threw that rose?" Uranus demanded, after   
making absolutely sure Sailor Moon was okay.  
  
"It came from up there." A little boy pointed   
to the roof of a building, where a man in a tuxedo   
and cape, with a mask and a ridiculous hat was   
standing. He gave a little wave and disappeared.  
  
"Dammit." Sailor Moon groaned, as she felt   
her side bleeding again. She must have ripped it   
open when she fired her attack.  
  
"Oh, geez. Come on, Sailor Moon, before the   
soldiers get here." Mars whispered.  
  
"What's wrong? Neptune asked.  
  
"She's hurt." Mercury explained. "Her side   
was ripped open by a youma."  
  
"Oh." In one swift motion, Sailor Moon was in   
Uranus's arms. "Let's go." She said, ignoring the   
fact red was beginning to seep through the bodice   
of the fuku. They ran off just as more youma began   
to approach. Mars and Neptune threw their attacks   
at them. In order to keep them from following,   
Mercury used some of her magic to cast a fog. They   
ran, Uranus going just as fast, or maybe faster   
than, the others.  
  
"We're far enough." Neptune gasped, after a   
very longer time. She and Uranus weren't even   
breathing hard. Mercury and Mars were a different   
story.  
  
"Dammit." Sailor Moon repeated. She   
dehenshined after Uranus set her down. She   
inspected her cut.  
  
"It just tore open a little. Damn nerves."   
She murmured.   
  
"So, you're senshi too." Mercury said.   
  
"I should hope so." Neptune said, powering   
down in a flash of light.  
  
"I know you... you're Kaioh Michiru." Usagi   
said, smiling. "And you're Ten'oh Haruka." She said   
to the powered down Uranus.  
  
"Dammit, Michi-chan. There *is* a person   
smarter than me." Haruka pouted.  
  
"Her ego's very delicate." Michiru said in   
mock concern.  
  
"Okay, we've got help. That just leaves one   
question."  
  
"What's that, Rei-chan?" Ami asked.  
  
"Who was that masked man?"  
  
  
  
A month of terror, Usagi thought wryly, as   
she marked on the calendar with a crescent moon the   
One month anniversary of becoming Sailor Moon.  
  
Days of waking up at some ungodly hour in the   
morning or night to stop raids, or surprise attack   
the Dark kingdom. Quickly they had learned all the   
tricks of guerilla warfare.  
  
It an odd way, it was like weaving a   
difficult piece of cloth. You were the thread,   
trying to avoid being tangled up in the others,   
that were the enemy.  
  
Yes, I've got a lot of spare time.  
  
"Dammit." Usagi murmured, as she fell back on   
her bed. For the last four days, she had gotten   
about five hours of sleep. Max.  
  
She knew it was taking it's toll on the   
others, too, but not as bad as she. They had worked   
it all out. Every other time they had to get up an   
go, Uranus, Neptune, and Moon went. On the reverse,   
it was Mars, Mercury, and Moon.   
  
She had to go every time, for she was the most   
powerful. Luna knew of her exhaustion, but not to   
it's full extent. Usagi hid it as well as she could   
from the others.  
  
Other times, they were on the defense, when a   
deliberate trap was set for them. They were harder   
and harder to avoid being caught, now that Nephrite   
and Jadeite worked together.  
  
But they succeeded. And little by little, they   
were winning.  
  
Beryl was enraged. She slept not a wink,   
throwing fits Satan himself feared when her minions   
failed. She was losing patience.  
  
She had just began to relax, just began to   
think that nothing more could threaten her throne,   
when...  
  
Sailor Moon happened.  
  
She did not know of a Sailor Moon. This new   
senshi did not exist in the silver millennium, she   
was sure of it. That's why, for the first few   
incidents, she thought it was some hoax, a trick by   
some computer genius that had found out about the   
silver millennium.  
  
But then she began having nightmares.   
Nightmares of her ruin. She knew it was no joke   
now, and was terrified.  
  
Even the fearless fear.  
  
A woman was at the base of it all, with an   
assistant she had brought forth from the Black   
Pits. Together they sent warnings, and yes, even   
the nightmares. They worked all the time, for they   
had no need for sleep.  
  
One was dressed in the purest of whites, the   
other in the darkest of purples.  
  
Both were dead.  
  
*******************  
  
  
  
"Ooo-kay doakie. So, we're here, to decide   
whether we should go risk our lives or go risk our   
lives. So, who's up for risking our lives?" Usagi   
asked, after a momentary lull in the conversation.   
They were at an infamous senshi meeting, this time   
being held at Usagi's house, Haruka and Michiru   
included.  
  
"DO we have a choice?" Ami groaned. "It's   
been a month. We've barely made a dent, and now   
*two* generals are after us."  
  
"So you're saying we should give up." Haruka   
sounded angry.  
  
"No!" Ami was shocked. "Of course not! I have   
not forgotten my oath, nor my mission. I'm saying   
we need more fire power. Tuxedo Kamen can't always   
save us. I think we need to search for the missing   
senshi. Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, and Pluto. Maybe   
with their help we can do something."  
  
"She's got a point." Rei said. "We're all   
going to have to show, pretty soon. Sailor Moon's   
power is strong, but it needs to increase at the   
same speed the youma's. And since that's not   
possible--"  
  
"I can do something." Usagi looked at the   
floor. "I remember something. But I'm not even sure   
where it is-- or if it still exists."  
  
"What?" Michiru asked.  
  
"The crescent sword."  
  
"The what?" Rei asked, but Ami had pulled out   
her computer.  
  
"The Crescent Sword of Artemis." Ami said.   
"Yes, Usagi-chan, it should exist. But we will not   
be able to get to it without all the senshi."  
  
"Why not?" Michiru asked.  
  
"Because it's on the moon. And in order to   
teleport, we must have the power of all the inner   
senshi." Usagi said.   
  
"Oh. So, it's back to square one, then.   
Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Pluto." Rei sighed.  
  
"Not Saturn and Pluto." Haruka said. "Pluto   
is not allowed to fight and if Saturn awakes, the   
world shall end."  
  
"What's so bad about that? At least we'd beat   
Beryl." Usagi murmured. Rei looked crestfallen. "We   
can't destroy the reason we're fighting, Usagi.   
Duh."  
  
"Dammit." Usagi forced a grin.  
  
"Hey, we've been too busy, but Rei and Usagi   
are able to sense power levels. So, if we split   
into two groups, and go all over the area, we might   
chance upon on of them." Ami said, putting away the   
computer. "Haruka and Michiru will go with Usagi,   
and I will go wi--"  
  
"No, Ami. I can't sense Jupiter's energy with   
another senshi around." Usagi spoke up quietly.   
Haruka opened her mouth to protest, but closed it   
after a pointed look from Michiru.   
  
"Okay. Rei, do you want someone to go with   
you?" Michiru asked.  
  
"No, that's okay." Rei said. She and Usagi   
stood up.  
  
"You guys figure out some battle strategies.   
If we're not back in two hours, search for us."   
Usagi flashed them a V for victory sign and headed   
out the door. Rei smiled before following her.  
  
*******************  
  
  
  
"An hour. An hour, and nothing." Usagi   
grumbled, as she stomped around Tokyo. "You'd think   
that someone would-- what the?" She stopped in her   
tracks, as the strangest feeling made her fall to   
her knees. It was not the dark feeling she got when   
the Dark Kingdom was around-- this feeling made her   
feel safe.  
  
"Luna said whatever drew me or whatever   
seemed out of the ordinary." She murmured, standing up and   
looking around her.   
  
A flash of blonde hair not unlike her own   
caught her eye. It belonged to a girl that she   
herself could have mistaken for herself. A white   
cat was in the girl's arms, and the girl herself   
appeared to be searching too, with her blue eyes.  
  
Blue met blue. Usagi and the other girl   
stared at each other. Neither moved a muscle.   
  
Who would confront the other?  
  
"A senshi." Usagi's lips formed the words.   
The other girl looked startled, but the cat jumped   
down and weaved through the crowd to Usagi.  
  
"If that's a senshi, you must be Artemis."   
She said to the cat, scooping it up and rubbing   
it's moon mark.   
  
Luna loved that.  
  
Artemis purred. Then, he remembered the   
mission.  
  
"You know about Luna?" He asked. If the girl   
was a minion of Beryl, she'd be surprised.  
  
"Yes, she's my kitty. Let me, guess, that's   
Venus. Luna said you were looking for her. I found   
you both. Luna will be so happy!" Usagi smiled.   
  
"Yes, her name's Minako." Artemis answered,   
while trying to figure out which senshi the girl   
was.  
  
"Minako!" Usagi called. "Minako! Come here!"   
the blonde girl smiled, realizing Artemis must have   
told the girl her name, and if Artemis trusted   
someone, so did she. She knocked two people over in   
her mad dash to get to the girl and her cat.  
  
"You're one of them?" Still, Minako thought,   
you couldn't be too careful.  
  
"And so are you. Come on, let's go. The rest   
are at my house. Mercury, Mars, Uranus, and   
Neptune."  
  
"Then who are you? You don't look or feel   
like Jupiter." Minako racked her brain for another   
senshi. This surely wasn't Pluto... or Saturn...  
  
"I'm Moon." Usagi glanced around. "Hush.   
There is a three million yen reward on our heads."   
She whispered. "Many people will turn us in, no   
matter what becomes of the earth." Minako nodded,   
eyes wide. That was a lot of money.   
  
"Come on, then. I'll call Rei when we get out   
of this crowd. She'll be glad to get a break. We   
really need the help, Minako-chan. I'm glad you're   
here."  
  
"So am I, princess."  
  
  
**********************  
  
  
  
Beep Beep Beep. Beep Beep Beep. Beep Beep   
Beep. Beep Beep Be--  
  
"Moon here." Usagi grabbed her communicator   
and looked at the clock. The blazing red numbers   
stared back at her.  
  
3:29 A.M.  
  
"Merc had a dream. I checked the fire. We've   
got a full blast raid, not too far from your place,   
Usagi. Instead of the usual, Venus, can you come?"  
  
"Already on it, Rei." Venus answered.  
  
"And Haruka and Michiru."  
  
"On our way." Michiru answered.  
  
"It's pretty big, so Ami, you and I will go   
too. The fire was vague, but I can see a lot of   
youma and soldiers. Usagi? I'm not sure-- but you   
know that shelter?" Rei asked. Her face was pale.  
  
"Yes. But why would you ask about the shel--   
Oh, my god. Rei, you're not serious." Usagi had her   
locket clenched tightly in her hands.  
  
"I am."  
  
"Okay, Minna. Let's go!" Usagi threw the   
communicator on the bed. "Luna, stay here." She   
ordered, and transformed. She jumped out her   
window, and began running. Up ahead of her she saw   
Sailor Venus.  
  
It was a coincidence, really, how Minako's   
house was just three houses down from Usagi's. It   
gave their princess added protection.  
  
"Sailor Venus! Wait up!" She called, just   
loud enough for Venus to hear. The 'ai no senshi'   
stopped, and waited for Sailor Moon.  
  
"Come on. I saw that center on my way here.   
It's jammed full of people, and they've probably   
over a million American dollars in that safe, not   
to mention yen and pounds and God only knows what   
else." Venus gasped, as they drew nearer the   
shelter.  
  
"I know... all those people." Sailor Moon   
pulled her staff out. They hid in the shadows.  
  
"Two guard youma. That would mean about   
seven, eight youma inside and not to mention   
soldiers, but they aren't much threat." Sailor Moon   
saw the glint of steel in Venus's left hand.  
  
"Do you want the pleasure, or should I?"   
Sailor Moon motioned to the two youma.  
  
"I will." Venus whispered. "It's been a while   
since I've been Venus, and I'd like some target   
practice before heading into hell." She raised her   
right arm.  
  
"VENUS ADOR!" She yelled. A beam of yellowish   
white light formed a sphere in her cupped hand. The   
guards foolishly looked her way. She threw it at   
them.  
  
It was faster that the eye could follow. It   
went right through them and returned to her hand.   
The youma stared at the holes in their chests   
before falling over, lifeless.  
  
"Good work." Moon whispered, and they   
cautiously entered the wide double doors.  
  
"It's too quiet." Venus whispered.  
  
"This is a trap." Sailor Moon realized, about   
a second too late. Nets were thrown over them, and   
she saw something come down on Venus's head.   
Something was slipped around her neck.   
  
The world grew dark as it tightened...  
  
  
***********************  
  
  
"We're too late." Uranus whispered, when the   
walked past the fallen guards and into the   
building, to find a mess and Venus, some blood and   
a couple of soldiers. They took out the soldiers   
with a vengeance, leaving one. Neptune began to   
question him mercilessly.  
  
"Where did you people take them?" She hissed.  
  
"I'm not telling you." He gasped in pain.   
Uranus growled at him, and the next thing he knew,   
he was being held up by his throat against a wall   
by a very angry senshi.  
  
"Now." She said through clenched teeth.  
  
"Alright! They took the two senshi to a   
warehouse on 56th street! They're going to torture   
them until they reveal their identities or tell   
them who you are." He said.   
  
"DEEP SUBMERGE!" Neptune yelled. Uranus   
jumped out of the way, The soldier had no time to   
react.  
  
Mercury and Mars ran in.  
  
"What's up? Mars asked. "Something's wrong."  
  
"They took Venus and Moon."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"A warehouse. On 56th street."  
  
"There are a hundred warehouses there!" Mars   
groaned, hitting her head against the wall.  
  
"I might be able to pinpoint them if I'm   
close enough with the computer." Mercury said, her   
visor appearing as she typed away at her computer.   
  
"Let's go."  
  
  
(****************************  
  
  
  
  
"I'm not telling you anything." Venus said   
fiercely.  
  
"And if you think you'll get anything out of   
me, you insane." Sailor Moon hissed, as they were   
dragged through the streets.  
  
'Where is he? Where is Tuxedo Kamen?' She   
yelled at herself.  
  
"Oh, you'll talk. Jadeite and Nephrite will be   
so pleased we've finally captured you." A youma   
rasped in it's hoarse voice.  
  
"Why are those names so familiar?" Venus   
asked.  
  
"I was thinking the exact thing. It's   
probably just because we've heard them so often."   
Sailor Moon sounded confident, ignoring the little   
voice in her head telling her something else,   
something just too quiet for her to hear...  
  
"Where are you taking us?" Venus asked. She   
wished she hadn't dropped her knife when they   
knocked her out.  
  
"What does it matter to you, Senshi?" A   
soldier spat. Venus took a mental note to kill that   
one slowly.  
  
"I think.. that if I concentrate my energy...   
I can make it go throw my tiara by itself..."   
Sailor Moon whispered, her tiara giving off a   
slight light. The youma and soldiers didn't notice   
it.  
  
"And if it doesn't? Your head will blow up."  
  
"It's my magic."  
  
"It will still kill you."  
  
"Venus, we have to do something."  
  
"You're the princess. You're not going to   
die."   
  
"Shut up. We've got to carry you, but we   
don't have to listen to you." A youma snapped.  
  
"Then let us walk on our own. We're not   
invalids." Sailor Moon retorted. In response, she   
was dropped onto the ground.  
  
"OW!" Venus yelled, as she was dropped too.  
  
"Good idea." The youma smiled nastily.   
"Walk."  
  
"Fine." Sailor Moon struggled to her feet.   
Venus and she walked in front of the youma, so   
their hands were hidden. Slowly, Sailor Moon worked   
the ropes off.  
  
"Venus?"  
  
"Got em." Venus turned slightly so Sailor   
Moon could see the loose ropes.   
  
"On the count of three." Sailor Moon   
whispered. "One... Two..."  
  
"THREE!" they shouted together, and did a   
graceful back flip over the heads of the youma and   
soldiers.   
  
"VENUS ADOR!"  
  
"MOON LOVELY RAINBOW KISS!" They yelled their   
respective attacks. there were still too many to   
deal with, but they could run...   
  
"Come on, girl. We can't take em." Venus   
said.  
  
"I'm going to kill them even if I go with   
them. At least that way I can ensure they'll make   
it to hell." Sailor Moon's eyes narrowed.   
  
"Alright." Venus grinned insanely. "Artemis   
and Luna are gonna kill us..."  
  
"Who cares?" Sailor Moon asked, and swung her   
staff around her, and struck into the ground with a   
mighty blow. "LUNAR ECLIPSE!" She shouted. For a   
split second, there was total silence. Not the,   
'everyone stopped talking' silence. The 'Deaf'   
silence. Even the insects fell silent. Then, a   
flash of light filled the sky. A huge silver   
crescent moon huge above Sailor Moon's head. She   
thrust the moon on the staff in the center of it,   
and mumbled a few words of a forgotten tongue. By   
her command, the crescent moon zoomed towards the   
helpless youma, slicing them all in half. The   
soldiers simply went up in smoke, not even a bit of   
dust was left of them.  
  
"May the Moon's curse lay upon your master's   
head." Sailor Moon whispered, before collapsing.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oh, my god. What did she do?" Artemis asked,   
seeing Usagi for the first time. Two days after the   
incident, Usagi had still not woken up. The Dark   
Kingdom was beginning to catch on Sailor Moon was   
gone. Michiru had called Usagi's mother to tell her   
Usagi would be staying with them for a few days,   
not to worry, they would see she got to school. It   
had taken a lot of talking, but it still didn't   
work. Luna had to hypnotize her to think that Usagi   
had permission to stay at Ami's for a week.  
  
I want that cat.  
  
"I've told you a thousand times. She used a   
new attack, whispered something, and fainted."   
Minako said.   
  
"She must have drained her energy." Artemis   
murmured.  
  
"It was amazing, you guys." Minako added.   
"There was this hole quietness. Like you couldn't   
talk even if you wanted to. Then, the sky went   
light, then dark, and she threw a moon at them."   
  
She went on, seeing it in her mind.  
  
"What was the attack, Mina-chan?" Luna asked.  
  
"It sounded like Moon Eclipse."  
  
"ECLIPSE?!" shouted Luna and Artemis,   
freaked.  
  
"Are you sure?" Artemis added.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Damn! Stupid, stupid, brave girl." Luna hit   
her head against the floor.  
  
"Why?" Haruka asked.  
  
"Because she used up every single ounce of   
strength and energy she had! Maybe even more than   
she had! Stupid! It may take days, WEEKS until she   
wakes." Artemis answered, while Luna continued to   
abuse both the floor and her head. "She probably   
knew what she was doing, too."  
  
"Probably? I'm sure she did!" Luna paused   
long enough to say.  
  
"I'm a doctor." A low voice from the doorway   
said. They all glanced up.   
  
Tuxedo Kamen.  
  
"What the hell? How'd you get in here?"   
Haruka demanded.  
  
"DO you want me to help your friend or not?"   
He growled. 'Usagi-chan, you always manage to get   
yourself in some kind of scrape.' He thought wryly   
as Haruka reluctantly stood aside. 'At least,   
that's what Motoki's told me, and that's what I can   
see. Let's see your friend use the mad dog excuse   
this time.'  
  
"What's your name?" Ami asked.  
  
"Tuxedo Kamen."  
  
"Your real name, buster." Rei moaned. Tuxedo   
Kamen took Usagi's pulse before answering.  
  
"Buster."  
  
"Arg!" Rei hit her head against the wall.  
  
"She should be awake." He said to himself. "I   
wonder what she did this time to get this way."  
  
"I am awake, baka. I was just listening."   
Usagi mumbled weakly, her words no more than a   
whisper.  
  
"USAGI!" Five girls leapt to the bedside. Two   
cats jumped on top of her.  
  
"Bye." Tuxedo Kamen disappeared before their   
eyes.  
  
"How does he do that?" Minako asked,   
narrowing her eyes.  
  
*********************  
  
  
Usagi went around the house, straightening   
things up and running a damp cloth over the wood.   
  
Light housekeeping, her mother called it.   
Usagi called it torture. But she did it without   
complaining today, singing a small song that she   
had learned in the silver millennium. A lady with a   
staff like hers, only different, had once sang it   
to her, and told her to remember it.  
  
And so she had, through centuries.  
  
"Far, far into the distant horizon   
"Let's ride the wind on forgotten wings   
"Someday we will surely meet  
"As we look smilingly towards the future  
"Which beckons us on  
"Come let's begin our journey   
"To a new world  
And open the door to the legend of memory."   
  
And that was all she remembered. There was more,   
and perhaps she didn't have it right, but she liked   
it that way.   
  
"Usagi, what were you singing?" Ikuko asked,   
looking up from her paper.  
  
"Just a song someone told me." Usagi answered   
truthfully.  
  
"Uh-hmm. Why are you singing in English?"  
  
"I was?" Usagi wondered. "I don't know. I   
didn't notice."  
  
"You didn't notice you were singing in   
another language?" Ikuko raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I've been distracted lately. And that's the   
way I heard it... are you sure it's English?"  
  
"I think so. Go ask your father. I'm not too   
good at it myself."   
  
It wasn't English. It was ancient Lunarian.   
The answer came to her the moment she asked her   
question.  
  
"Lunarian." She whispered.  
  
"What was that?"   
  
"Nothing, mom." An idea slowly crept into her   
head. "Hey mom? You know those Sailor girls that   
have been all over TV? What do you think of them?"   
She might as well learn her mother's opinion now.  
  
"I think they're fools to oppose Beryl.   
Heaven knows we tried to fight her, but we lost.   
  
"On the other hand, they've panicked the   
generals, which was more than our armies ever   
managed to do."  
  
"So you're not against them?" Usagi asked   
hopefully.  
  
"Why would be against someone trying to bring   
that witch down?" Ikuko replied. "One of my friends   
saw them-- they rescued her neighbors from a raid.   
She said that Sailor Moon was leaning on another   
senshi as she ran out, like she was hurt."  
  
"Uh-huh." Usagi kept the huge smile from   
spreading out on her face.  
  
"What the name of that song, dear?" Ikuko   
asked, changing the subject.  
  
"I'm not sure... she never told me." Usagi   
answered.  
  
Her communicator went off. Ikuko jumped at   
the sound.  
  
"What's that?" She asked.  
  
"It's.... my er.... uh, beeper." Usagi's face   
flushed.  
  
"Beeper?"  
  
"Yeah, Ruka-chan bought it for me." Usagi   
lied quickly. "I've got to go, Mama. See you   
later."  
  
"Okay, Usagi." Ikuko looked worried as her   
daughter ran out of the house at top speed.  
  
*******************  
  
  
  
"Okay, what is it?" Usagi said, standing by a   
pay phone, talking into her communicator.  
  
"it's called a challenge." Rei murmured back.   
"Apparently Nephrite has killed Jadeite, under   
Beryl's orders. Nephrite has taken a school   
hostage. Usagi, this isn't going to be simple   
dodging in and out anymore. it's full out war, from   
this second on. Transform, and go to this address."   
Rei told Usagi an address just outside of Tokyo.   
"It's the big Mansion. I'm on my way. Haruka and   
Michiru are there. You're to go get Luna and wait   
for Minako to pick you up. Say good bye to your   
mother." Rei said, and turned away. Tears were   
threatening to fall.  
  
"Oh, Rei, you can't mean it." Usagi cried.  
  
"Gomen, Odango Atama. I do. Hurry. We've got   
to decide about the school." the communicator went   
off. Usagi put hers up.  
  
Today was the beginning of the end.  
  
"But I'm only fifteen." She moaned. Suddenly,   
she straightened, up ashamed of her tears. She was   
a warrior.  
  
She ran home, but halfway there, almost in   
sight of her door, she was nearly knocked down by a   
sense of energy.   
  
Another senshi.  
  
"Where? Who?" She asked aloud. The only   
person on the street was a girl about her age, only   
much taller, with brown hair pulled up in a   
ponytail.  
  
"Sailor Jupiter." Damn. She had to run away,   
and on top of it, there was a new senshi to fill   
in.  
  
Oh, well. They didn't know who they were yet,   
so she might as well ruin another girl's life.  
  
"hello? Miss?" She asked, running up to the   
girl, who turned.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Okay, I know you're not going to believe a   
word I say, but you're a Sailor Senshi. Hi, I'm   
Sailor Moon. You're Sailor Jupiter, to fight   
against a force that outnumbers you by about twenty   
thousand times infinity. Here's your wand." Usagi   
handed the girl a green stick. "Come on, we have to   
go, but first I have to pick up my talking cat."  
  
"Are you crazy?" The girl asked.  
  
"Hey... what's your name?"  
  
"Makoto."  
  
"Well, Mako-chan, come on. Please. I'll   
explain on the way, and if you don't want to do it,   
I'll let you walk away."  
  
"Alright..." Imagine this. The girl's   
probably scared witless.  
  
"Minako!" Usagi yelled to the blonde   
approaching her house.  
  
"Usagi! Artemis went to get Luna! You are   
supposed to be inside-- Oh. Who's this?" Minako   
asked.  
  
"Sailor Jupiter. You keep her right here   
while I go tell mom I'm not coming back." Usagi   
said. Minako raised an eyebrow but began telling   
Makoto exactly what she was to do, without freaking   
her out like Usagi had.  
  
Usagi ran into the house, grabbed Luna and   
Artemis off the bed and let them climb out the   
window.  
  
"Luna, go to Minako, I found a new senshi,   
and she's most likely scared to death. I sorta gave   
it to her fast and quick. Minako's trying to   
explain, but...."  
  
"Oh, Usagi, you didn't!" Luna gasped.  
  
"That's just plain cruel." Artemis added.   
they went to go rescue Makoto.  
  
Usagi quickly grabbed her schoolbag and put   
in some pictures, and some clothes, and whatever   
else she could fit in. She looked around the room   
once more, and sighed.  
  
She'd probably never see it again like this.  
  
With a heavy heart she trudged down the   
stairs. With each step she came closer and closer   
to tears, but she held them in.  
  
She was a senshi. Not a cry baby.  
  
"Usagi? What's wrong? You whizzed through   
here like lightning!" Ikuko asked.   
  
No tears, Usagi told herself.  
  
"Mama, I'm sorry, but some people are after   
me. I can't stay here, it'd put you guys in too   
much danger. I have to go away. Don't tell anyone   
I'm gone, okay? If you did, they'd figure out who I   
was..." her throat choked up Ikuko was rooted to   
the spot, mouth hanging open.  
  
"Are you serious?" She asked finally.  
  
"Yes, Mama. I've got to go. Please, just tell   
them I'm sick and can't come out. My friend's   
lives, your lives, and my life are at stake. They   
are very ruthless people. I'd love to tell you who,   
what, when, where.... and why..." Damn tears. "But   
I can't. Maybe some other time."  
  
"But Usagi..."  
  
"No. Bye." Usagi walked out the door. She   
finally let the tears flow.  
  
Good bye, life.  
--------------------------  
  
Ah, the first half. Hmm... I like how it cuts off. You just got to love a psychotoc, fourteen-year-old Black Beyond, ne? I'll get the other part out when I'm done formatting it. -_-;;;  
  
If you're really impatient, you can go read it all on ASMR. (www.moonromance.com/lib.htm)  
  
It's under the pen name Black Rose. 


	2. The Second Half... wooooo.....

Ah, the second half...  
  
  
  
"I can't believe I did that." Usagi moaned.   
They were all at the mansion, including a still   
baffled Makoto.  
  
"Usagi, it's okay..." Makoto whispered.  
  
"No, it's not. But we still have this   
problem. The world comes before all my problems."   
Usagi said with false cheerfulness.  
  
"He's holding a middle school hostage."   
Haruka shrugged. "We attack."  
  
"And he blows the school up. What are his   
demands?" Ami argued. Michiru turned around to a   
small TV and hit play on the built in VCR.  
  
"... and they shall remain in the school   
until the senshi show themselves." Nephrite said,   
his cold blue eyes staring emotionless at the   
camera. Michiru hit stop.  
  
"Just show ourselves?" Rei asked.  
  
"I say Venus and I lay low, since they don't   
really know we're on the team yet." Makoto spoke   
up. She had adjusted to the group quickly.  
  
"They've caught sight of me before." Minako   
contradicted.  
  
"But Mako can't go alone." Usagi murmured.  
  
"You're not going up to Nephrite. They may   
have figured out who you are. We can't take a   
chance on losing you." Haruka said stubbornly.  
  
"In case you hadn't noticed, Ruka, there is a   
four million yen reward on MY head. If they bring   
you in, they'll get a 'Good Job', and a pat on the   
back." Usagi retorted.  
  
"You're the princess. You're not putting   
yourself in the center of a trap. Not again."   
Michiru said.  
  
"I think--" Ami began, but stopped.  
  
"Think what?" Rei asked, after a long   
silence.  
  
"I think... that Usagi's disguise pen...   
could make one of us look like Sailor Moon. They   
wouldn't notice if, say, only Sailor Moon and two   
senshi went up. They wouldn't care if Venus,   
Uranus, and Neptune weren't there. Since you're new   
to the team, they'd think you'd abandoned us." Ami   
said hesitantly.  
  
"That's a good idea." Luna said, finally.   
"But who would play Usagi?"  
  
All eyes went to Minako.  
  
"I would." She said instantly.  
  
"NO!" Usagi protested.  
  
"Yes." Minako said calmly.  
  
"But Minako-chan..."  
  
"No. In one hour, three Sailor Senshi will   
appear at the school gates. Four senshi shall sneak   
in the back, unnoticed." Haruka said.  
  
*******************  
  
  
  
"It's been almost two hours." Nephrite   
growled. Was he wrong to think the senshi would   
give themselves up for a school of kids?   
  
If he failed again, General Zoisite would   
take over. And everyone knew how power hungry   
Zoisite was.  
  
"Nephrite, sir." A soldier stood attention at   
the door. "Sailor Moon and two of her senshi have   
surrendered. They say the newest members of the   
senshi have ran away, and will not give themselves   
up for a snotty bunch of brats." He said. "Their   
words, sir."  
  
"Good. Where are they?" Nephrite used all his   
control to keep from jumping up and down.  
  
"At the front gates, sir."  
  
"Good." Nephrite walked swiftly to the Gates,   
where several soldiers were sneering at the senshi.   
It was Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Mars   
that stood there.   
  
Sailor Moon looked a bit... odd.  
  
"Glad to see you've surrendered. It will be   
all the quicker death." He smirked.  
  
"Merc?" Sailor Moon asked.  
  
"Ok." Mercury answered. Nephrite raised an   
eyebrow.   
  
Surely they weren't smart enough to...  
  
"VENUS PRISM POWER MAKE UP!" 'Sailor Moon'   
yelled. In the blink of an eye, Sailor Venus stood   
in pace of Sailor Moon.  
  
"You've been foiled, my dear. VENUS ADOR!"   
She yelled, knocking the bewildered Nephrite back   
into the building.  
  
"MARS SPIRALLING VORTEX!"  
  
"AQUA HALLUCINATION WHIRL!" Three youma and   
two soldiers fell under the surprise blows. Venus   
pulled out her dagger and went for the soldiers.  
  
The real Sailor Moon was inside, taking out   
anyone who went up against her. Jupiter was   
covering her back, while Uranus and Neptune took   
the second floor, letting the kids go.  
  
"This is fun!" Jupiter laughed, as another   
youma went down under her 'Zeus Thunder Arrow'.  
  
"Fun? Great. We've acquired another insane   
senshi." Sailor Moon knocked out a soldier with her   
staff.  
  
"Last room." She said, watching the excited   
kids run out, followed by grateful teachers.   
"Wonder how the others are doing."  
  
"Come on. We better go help Venus, Merc, and   
Mars. They can't handle all those by themselves."   
Jupiter half smiled.  
  
"Dammit! What's they do, put all the youma up   
here? WORLD SHAKING!" Hordes of youma and soldiers   
kept rushing at them. They had worked themselves   
into a corner.  
  
"DEEP SUBMERGE!"   
  
"Michi..."  
  
"I don't know, Uranus. Call for some back up.   
SUBMARINE REFLECTION!"  
  
"Fine." Uranus hit a button on her   
communicator. "Let's hope, Michi."  
  
**********************  
  
  
Ever had one of those horrible days where you   
think nothing else can go wrong, and then suddenly,   
a mountain falls on top of you?  
  
That's what Nephrite was feeling, only in   
place of the mountain were five angry senshi, all   
staring at him.  
  
To his delight, he heard a beeping noise, and   
two seconds later, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus   
ran off into the building.  
  
Maybe this day was going to turn out better   
after all...  
  
"You, General Nephrite, have committed many   
wrongs against my kingdom." Sailor Moon spoke   
first. "I have no wish to kill, but I see it   
necessary in this battle, where you, the enemy,   
have an advantage.  
  
"However, I also see your weaknesses. You are   
all weak, greedy people who jump at the slightest   
mention of power." She slammed her staff into the   
ground in anger.  
  
"Sailor Moon, finish him." Mars urged.  
  
"Yes." Jupiter agreed. Nephrite shank against   
the wall. If they attacked, he'd have no chance.  
  
"No." Sailor Moon said, her eyes narrowing.   
"I will not kill an unarmed man, even if he be my   
mortal enemy. I allow you to leave, and to carry a   
message with you to Queen Beryl.  
  
"Tell her, the princess is after her." She   
said coldly. Nephrite puzzled at her riddle.  
  
"And if I won't go?" He said definitely.  
  
"Jupiter?" Sailor Moon asked. It was more of   
a command than an order.  
  
"ZEUS THUNDER ARROW!" The lighting bolt hit   
the wall a millimeter from his head.  
  
"Even though you've won this battle, I shall   
win the war." Nephrite glared at them, before   
disappearing.  
  
"Is he... *gasp* dead?" Uranus asked, as they   
came up, beaten badly.  
  
"She let him go." Mars's voice was full of   
wonder.  
  
"Who did?" Neptune questioned.  
  
"I did. I needed a message sent, and so it   
has been. I cannot kill HIS protectors." Sailor   
Moon whispered.   
  
Senshi: 1. Beryl: 0.  
  
*******************  
  
  
  
"My Queen." Nephrite appeared in Beryl's   
chambers.   
  
"What is it, Nephrite? I thought you wiser   
than to approach me after *another* failure." Beryl   
demanded, her red hair tangled, bags under her   
eyes, clothes rumpled; she had not slept for days.  
  
"A message, My Queen, that Sailor Moon has   
sent through me to you." Nephrite answered,   
wondering if he'd be alive five minutes from now.  
  
"huh?"   
  
"She said, the princess is after you. I do   
not know what this me--"  
  
"THE PRINCESS?!" Beryl's terrified shriek cut   
through the rest of his sentence. He fell back,   
surprised by her outburst.  
  
Zoisite and Kunzite watched their Queen   
become hysterical, ranting about the moon.  
  
"What did you say?" Kunzite demanded. He was   
the oldest and wisest of the generals. He was also   
the most powerful, and one of Beryl's most trusted   
advisors.  
  
"Sailor Moon said to tell Beryl that 'the   
princess was after her'. I've no clue what it   
means, but Queen Beryl apparently does."  
  
"You fool! Weren't you paying any attention   
in briefing?" Zoisite thundered.  
  
"Wha? Why?"  
  
"The princess. Princess Serenity of the Moon,   
you imbecile. As I recall, Queen Serenity's dying   
words were, 'My daughter shall destroy you, wicked   
one,' referring to Beryl, of course. It means that   
Sailor Moon must know who and where the princess   
is. And if the princess has the Silver Moon   
Crystal, we might as well begin digging our   
graves." Kunzite rolled his eyes like Nephrite was   
the stupidest creature alive.   
  
"The main reason Beryl's so upset, even   
before you told her the moon princess was back, s   
that we have no records on Sailor Moon. There was   
rumor, in the Silver Millennium, of a ultimate   
senshi, that was aligned with the moon and stars,   
that no one could defeat.   
  
"But it was just that, a rumor. We never   
thought it true until the raid was broken." he   
finished.   
  
"And, the inner guardians have been awoken.   
With two outer senshi. When they fight as one, the   
inner protectors of the Princess are nearly   
invincible. We only defeated them that once because   
we were able to break them up, distract them."   
Zoisite added. "And the inner senshi are even more   
powerful, especially Sailor Uranus and Sailor   
Neptune. they are a deadly duo."  
  
"Why am I left out of this?" Nephrite asked.  
  
"Because you're too obsessed with your star   
charts." Kunzite answered.  
  
"One more thing. If Sailor Saturn, or Sailor   
Pluto appears, don't tell Beryl.  
  
"They are the ones able to destroy the world   
in a few simple words." Zoisite words fell on   
Nephrite's stunned ears.  
  
*****************************  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry I can't remember if I can heal,   
Haruka. That looks nasty." Usagi murmured, pointing   
to the open gasp on Haruka's leg. Haruka managed   
to give her a quirky grin.  
  
"You could try, Odango-chan." She whispered,   
raising her eyebrows. Michiru firmly pulled Usagi   
away from Haruka and turned on Ami.  
  
"How many painkillers did you give her?" She   
demanded of the girl.  
  
"About 50mgs." Ami whispered. "I didn't know   
it'd get her high."  
  
"Come on, out of the room, people, before   
Haruka says something." Michiru tried to usher them   
out. She had almost succeeded, when...  
  
"Hey, minna!" Haruka called weakly. "Did   
anyone ever tell you Michiru has the cutest little   
birthmark that looks like a rabbit under her --"  
  
"OUT!" Michiru yelled.   
  
"Where?" Artemis asked, innocently. Luna   
smacked him upside the head.  
  
"Hentai."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Motoki, have you seen Odango Atama-baka   
around? She hasn't been to the arcade in almost two   
weeks. Mamoru asked, searching futilely for the   
blonde.  
  
"Why? Do you *like* her?" Motoki was not his   
usual happy go lucky self.  
  
"No-- just worried." Mamoru answered,   
although his heart told him otherwise.  
  
"I don't know. One of her friends-- Naru?   
Nara? Something like that-- well, anyway, she told   
me Usagi hasn't been to school either. She mother   
has been saying she's sick-- but..." Motoki turned   
away. "I think otherwise. Sick for TWO weeks?"  
  
"What do you suppose, then?" Mamoru asked.  
  
"I don't know. I just know that Usagi   
wouldn't stay out of school because she's SICK.   
She'd be in here, at least. And haven't you   
noticed? None of her friends have been coming   
around either." Motoki turned nonchalant away,   
leaving Mamoru with his thoughts.  
  
'What if Odango is in trouble? I know she   
didn't get that cut by a dog-- and Rei Whatever was   
mussed up too.  
  
'I bet her mother knows what going on.' He   
concluded. He threw some yen on the counter and   
almost ran out of the store.  
  
" This isn't funny." He said to himself. "Her   
own mother's covering for her, meaning it's bad.   
Her friends have also mysteriously vanished. Either   
the Dark Kingdom is just being a bunch of eechis   
and are collecting girls, or something else..." A   
memory tugged at the back of his mind, threatening   
to surface. Mamoru didn't notice. He was trying to   
find a logical explanation.  
  
As if.  
  
However, he came up with many that his   
desperate mind was able to accept.  
  
A dog with really sharp teeth.  
  
She really was sick.  
  
A bus hit her.  
  
Aliens got her.  
  
A love sick man eating fish got her.  
  
And so on, through a list that got more and   
more ridiculous as it went on, if possible.   
  
But the moment Ms. Tsukino opened the door,   
and Mamoru caught a glimpse of her tear stained,   
miserable face, all his ideas went down the drain,   
and he barged in past her without a word.  
  
"Tsukino-san." He began respectfully, but she   
stopped him with a hand.  
  
"You want to know about my daughter." She   
stated.  
  
"Y-yes. Watashi wa Chiba Mamoru   
desu." He said, grateful he didn't have to explain.  
  
"Chiba-san, I can tell you what happened in   
three sentences: She came in. She grabbed her   
stuff, said goodbye, that some people were after   
her. She left." Ikuko said. "Please don't tell   
anyone she's gone-- she begged me that, but I can't   
tell anyone else... and I've seen you with her...   
she seems to like you-- I can't even tell Kenji   
what happened!" Ikuko sobbed.  
  
"She just left?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Thank you, Tsukino-san. I'll try to look for   
her."  
  
"Thank you, Chiba-san."  
  
*************************  
  
  
"She must be so worried." Usagi murmured,   
walking in circles around the huge mansion.   
Worrying about her mother, and her friends.  
  
What if her mother got worried and turned her   
description in to the authorities?  
  
Her description matched Sailor Moon's   
exactly. She could imagine the report...  
  
Long blonde hair pulled up in buns on either   
side of her head... big blue eyes... height,   
weight..  
  
Damn!  
  
She had to at least make sure her family was   
okay.  
  
She scribbled out a quick note on the pad of   
paper on the table and pull out her Luna Disguise   
Pen, and quickly henshined into a girl with light,   
lilac-colored hair and reddish eyes. She pulled a   
trench coat on.  
  
  
That would keep any senshi outside from   
recognizing her, because the others were allowed   
out, but she was constricted to the mansion,   
because she was the princess.  
  
She'd rather be a beggar.  
  
She ran from the mansion with a vengeance, and   
for a few blocks she ran faster than any human had   
a right to.  
  
She wasn't human.  
  
She slowed down, noticing the people staring   
at her.   
  
Up ahead, she saw Mamoru, searching through   
the crowd, like he was looking for something.  
  
Someone.  
  
Suddenly, Usagi just knew he looking for her.   
She knew she was the target of his concern, and   
that he would probably find her.  
  
Just walk right past him... he can't see   
through the trench coat, and even if he could, he   
cant see through the disguise.  
  
Maybe.  
  
  
"I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm   
okay...." Mamoru heard the girl with strange hair   
chant to herself. He felt an immense energy level   
coming from her.  
  
What was wrong with her?  
  
"Excuse me, miss, is anything wrong?" He   
asked. The girl spun around, her large scarlet eyes   
full of terror and fear.  
  
His every instinct told him something was   
wrong.  
  
"No... I'm fine." She stuttered, and turn to   
run.  
  
"I don't believe you." He said, using the   
same level voice he used with Rei, and then again   
  
with Usagi.  
  
"I'm in a terrible hurry..." The girl   
murmured, afraid to look at him.   
  
"I don't believe that, either."  
  
"I am." She whispered. Her voice was close to   
tears. "I have to go check on someone-- and get   
back before they know I'm gone. They'll track me   
down, and it's the last thing I need." She   
murmured, almost to herself, because, for a split   
second, she had forgotten about Mamoru.  
  
"Why?" His voice cut into her jumbled   
thoughts.  
  
Like someone had hit her with a stone, she   
realized she was an actor.   
  
He was the dashing hero in disguise.  
  
She was the damsel in distress.   
  
She fought down a giggle. This was her debut.   
Come on, Usagi, play it out good. He hasn't a clue   
who you are.  
  
Let's see if those acting lessons on the moon   
paid off.  
  
"I have to go..." She said, sounding   
flustered. "You might be one of them... they'd kill   
me... I can't stay... please, sir. Let me go." She   
tugged at her arm, that Mamoru had grabbed.  
  
"No. You're in trouble. I want to help." He   
said simply.  
  
Play it out good...  
  
"Just let me gooooo!" She said, sobbing. "If   
they notice I'm gone..."  
  
"What's your name?" Mamoru asked. She stared   
at him.  
  
"I'm not telling you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I don't know you... people are after   
me... you might be one..."  
  
"I'm Mamoru."  
  
'I knew that.'  
  
"Neko." She said, and then clamped a hand on   
her mouth, like she hadn't meant to say that.  
  
"Neko, huh? Coincidence. I'm looking for a   
girl named Usa."  
  
"Usa? As in rabbit?" She smiled.  
  
"Usagi, actually. You haven't seen her, have   
you?" He asked. 'Neko' let out a strangled gasp,   
and jerked away from Mamoru, and began running much   
faster than he could ever hope to.  
  
"That's one career I could consider. Acting."   
Usagi mumbled, as she approached her house.   
  
She couldn't go in... couldn't knock...   
couldn't do anything. She just had to wait.  
  
And wait she did. For two hours, she crouched   
in the tree outside her house, until she grew tired   
and jumped gracefully to her bedroom window, pulled   
it open (wondering why it wasn't locked), and   
climbed inside.  
  
It was just as she left it.  
  
"I miss you, room." She whispered. She walked   
over to the mirror and looked at the face that   
wasn't hers.  
  
She had to keep it, at least for now.  
  
She heard the sounds of someone washing the   
dishes, of Shingo playing the Nintendo, of Kenji   
cursing as he burned his fingers lighting a fire.  
  
Normal sounds.  
  
Sounds of a life she could not have.  
  
That was it. She crept silently over to her   
desk and pulled out a piece of paper, and began   
writing.   
  
Whether she would leave it or burn it, she   
knew not.  
  
*******************  
  
  
  
Ikuko walked up the stairs to check on her   
daughter's room, hoping that maybe, Usagi would   
have came back.  
  
She held her breath as she opened to door,   
slowly.  
  
Nothing.  
  
Another disappointment. It wasn't new.   
  
Wait. The window was open. Strange. How did   
that happen?  
  
"I must have, earlier." She said to herself   
as she crossed the room and closed it, pulling the   
curtains shut. She turned to leave when a flash of   
red caught her eye.  
  
Something red was on Usagi's desk.  
  
She picked it up. It was a single, red rose   
without a flaw anywhere.  
  
Underneath it was a letter.  
  
She began to read:  
  
-Mom,  
I'm sorry I ran out like that, but you can't   
understand the trouble I'm in. I was almost caught   
to-day, so I'm pretty sure you can at least under-  
stand part of the danger. Remember, don't tell any-  
one. Because no matter what they look like, they   
could very well be my enemy. I know you told Mamoru   
and I'm not angry, but be more careful! Mamoru saw   
me to-day, but luckily he didn't know it was I. I   
love you, very much, and that's why I'm doing this.   
I'd tell you everything, but it's impossible right   
now. The people I'm with will protect me, whether I   
like it or not, so don't worry. I'm watching you...   
you won't get hurt. I'll come back someday... after   
Beryl is gone.   
  
I can tell you who's after me now, it's Beryl.   
Queen Beryl. She's after me because I'm a threat to   
her, because I know too much. She does not know my   
name, and it is important it stays that way because   
she will have you killed, just to see me suffer.  
Be careful...  
  
-Usagi-  
  
  
  
"Beryl!" Ikuko gasped. She tore the letter   
into many pieces so if there was a search. they   
wouldn't find it. She held her head high.  
  
No more tears. If it was Beryl Usagi was   
running from, then Ikuko would remain silent.   
  
If someone could take Beryl down, Ikuko was   
confident it was Usagi.  
  
****************  
  
  
  
"Where have you *been*?" Haruka screeched,   
the moment Usagi walked in the door. Usagi felt her   
ribs being crushed as Haruka nearly squeezed the   
life out of her.  
  
"Breathe... must breathe..." Usagi gasped.  
  
"Haruka's been going off the wall, and we've   
had to listen to it. Where *have* you been?" Rei   
whined.  
  
"Dead, okay?" Usagi muttered, and ran up the   
stairs. Haruka stared after her and then looked at   
Michiru, who nodded.  
  
"Did I miss something?" Minako asked.  
  
"Usagi went to check on her family." Ami   
said, who caught it too.  
  
"She loved her family, even after she learned   
the truth." Luna murmured.  
  
"My mother... it wasn't hard leaving her...   
she was always caught up in the hospital... she   
probably hasn't even noticed I'm gone... we would   
go for days without seeing one another. It was like   
I never had a mother at all." Ami mumbled.  
  
"And grandpa... he loves me, but..." Rei   
began, and trailed off.  
  
Makoto just stared at them.  
  
"My parents didn't care." Minako said simply.  
  
"I was disowned." Haruka said, after a   
pointed glare from Michiru, who said the same.  
  
"I can guess why... I'm sorry." Artemis said.  
  
"Hmm. Is it a coincidence?" Luna wondered.  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
"The universe is a vast place, my daughter."   
A woman, shadowed so her face cannot be seen,   
stands in front of the starry sky, reflected by the   
lake's waters.  
  
"But Mother... I am one... The Darkness is   
winning..." Another girl, her head bowed, says.  
  
"Do you believe you can win?" The woman asks.  
  
"N-no." The girl replies.  
  
"There's your problem, then."  
  
"What? it doesn't matter what I believe. If I   
fight, I win, or I loose." The girl said, sounding   
surprised... and maybe a bit hopeful?  
  
"No, no. Do you truly believe that if you   
don't think something will work when you make it,   
that you'll do your best. Come here." The woman   
said. The girl moved slowly and without sound the   
the woman's side.  
  
"Now, I shall tell you a secret."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes. Now, look." The woman opened her hand.   
In her palm lay a glittering light.  
  
"What is it?" The girl marveled.  
  
"I don't know. You tell me."  
  
"It looks like a star. Like a star with many   
points, all shining for something..."  
  
"Maybe that is what it is. And look around   
you." the woman said. The sky and lake faded away.  
  
The were standing by a galaxy, all yellow and   
oranges and reds and purples, in the vast dark blue   
emptiness, gorgeous, beauty beyond any poet's   
description.  
  
"Now, tell me which is the more beautiful."   
The woman said.  
  
The girl looked from the plain, white star   
that did not seem so glittery, to the billions and   
billions of stars of different colors, all forming   
that array of hues. She decided.  
  
"I like that one." She pointed to the white   
star. The woman smiled.  
  
"I'm very glad you think so. Now, look at our   
galaxy." She motioned to their surroundings. "It is   
made up of these, little, insignificant stars.  
  
"But once together, look at how they shine!   
Look at the colors, and the sheer beauty of it   
all!"  
  
"What purpose does this have, Mother?" The   
girl asked.  
  
"Look carefully. Tell me how many white stars   
you see." The woman replied. The girl searched for   
what seemed like many minutes.  
  
"None."  
  
"Ah-ha. You are not looking hard enough." The   
white star disappeared from the woman's hand, and   
she pointed to the very center of the galaxy.  
  
"There it is. It is beautiful, is it not?   
That star... it is the force that keeps the human   
race alive. If that star dies, all is lost. It is   
the life."  
  
"And what does this have to do with me?" The   
girl asked.  
  
"You are that star, just as I was. My   
dearest, if we die-- so does everyone else. The   
blood of Eternia must live forever, no matter what.   
If the blood is no more..." The woman trailed off.   
  
The sound of an explosion filled the air. The   
sun exploded in a super nova, a spectacular sight   
to behold...  
  
...If the meaning wasn't so crystal clear to   
the girl.  
  
"If I die...." The girl looked at the ruin   
the explosion had left.  
  
"But if you believe you can win, you shall.   
No matter what." The woman smiled. "For I know, in   
my heart of hearts, you can and you will win. Not   
for yourself, not for me, not for your earth...  
  
"Then why?" The girl asked.  
  
"It will be just to prove Queen Beryl, to   
prove the shadows, to prove the blackness, that   
someone *IS* stronger...  
  
"It will be to show the smallest of flowers   
that the sun will shine tomorrow, with it's healing   
rays and life-giving light...  
  
"It will be because of the beautiful, spicy   
scent of a spring morning...  
  
"It will be, my dear, for life..."  
  
******************   
  
  
  
Usagi woke with a start, remembering her   
mother's words.   
  
"For life." She repeated, a warmth replacing   
the chill in her heart.  
  
Yes, for life. She wanted life. She wanted   
life to go on, forever, never to cease.   
  
"I will fight, Mother. I can win. Beryl will   
not go unpunished for her cause in the destruction   
of life.  
  
"I will fight, Mother. Only, I shall do it   
different...  
  
"I will fight for life..."  
  
//  
  
Usagi woke up, so to speak. She got one   
reality check, by the dream that had been given to   
her by the mysterious senshi, but it had only   
pulled her half-way to the surface.  
  
Now, she knew that this could not simply be a   
game, as it had been for her.  
  
No, this was all-out, black vs. white, World   
War II, Armageddon war. Soon, when their   
identities were revealed, and oh, she knew   
eventually one of them would slip, it would be hard   
core battle.  
  
So, she trained. And trained. For a month   
straight, they did nothing but train, only going   
out to bust up the occasional raid. Killing the   
youma became easier and easier.   
  
Usagi trained with a mysterious man, who's   
name was Hin. She alone knew who he really was, and   
his presence was kept a secret by her from the rest   
of the senshi.  
  
Her strength grew. And grew. Until it seemed   
that she could defeat Beryl easily.   
  
Usagi knew that wasn't right, even though Hi   
told her she could probably walk up to Beryl and   
knock her flat on her back. Beryl didn't get to   
such a position unless she had a catch.  
  
They just didn't know what.   
  
Usagi was forbidden to leave the house, under   
any circumstances, because it was her life that the   
world hung upon.  
  
This time, she didn't argue, but they did   
allow her to, every so often, go check on her   
parents, and leave a rose for her mother.  
  
Sometimes it was red, sometimes pink, and   
once, a white rose.  
  
Usagi liked stealing in.  
  
It was Ikuko's way of knowing her daughter   
was okay. Sometimes there was two, maybe three   
roses a week. Sometimes there was only one, or   
none.  
  
  
  
  
*****************  
  
  
  
  
  
Kenji was concerned about his wife. Shingo   
thought Usagi's absence was great at first but soon   
missed his sister.   
  
Ikuko never missed her daily trip up the   
stairs.  
  
"Iku-chan." Kenji said at last, one day as   
Ikuko began to climb the stairs.  
  
"What is it?" She asked, eager to see if a   
rose was left that day.  
  
"You've been going up there every night...   
you will not tell me where my own daughter is...   
not even if she's alive. I'm worried, not only   
about Usagi-chan, but about you." He said, trying   
to get her to look at him.  
  
"Ken-chan, please... you know I can't. Not   
until she says so." Ikuko mumbled, immediately   
knowing she had said the wrong thing.   
  
She didn't know why she wouldn't tell her   
husband or son about Usagi. There was just   
something inside her that said, No! You can't!   
Lately, Ikuko had noticed that the gut feeling was   
sometimes right.  
  
Why chance it?  
  
She knew Kenji worked with the government,   
but they'd never discussed it, so Kenji could very   
well be loyal to Beryl. If she told him, and if it   
was so, he might tell Beryl, and Usagi had told her   
that it was absolutely necessary no one was gone.  
  
"Fine, Kenji. I'll tell you. Usagi's at a   
camp with her friends. She asked me not to tell you   
about it because you might make her come home. It's   
an Arts and Humanities camp." Ikuko hated lying,   
but Beryl was ruthless.  
  
Kenji relaxed.  
  
"Make her come home? Why? As long as she's   
having a good time." Kenji began to read the paper   
again and Ikuko stole up the stairs.  
  
The first thing her eyes saw was the rose.  
  
The second thing was...  
  
A knife, covered in blood, a note attached.  
  
  
***************************  
  
  
  
"Minna, we need to attack. Go on offensive.   
I'm sick of waiting in the dark, until they decide   
to attack." Usagi said, bored. They were gathered   
around the dinner table, eating.  
  
Ami's fork dropped to the plate with a   
clatter.  
  
"I'm hearing things," Rei muttered. "because   
I swear I just heard Usagi say--"  
  
"I mean, flat out, insane-o, brutal, guerilla   
warfare." Usagi interrupted.  
  
"Okay. Usagi, just how much aspirin did you   
take?" Makoto asked gently.  
  
"No, she's right." Haruka and Luna said at   
the same time.  
  
"Wha?!" Michiru squeaked.  
  
"Yes. A straight out attack would catch them   
off guard." Luna explained, to the shocked senshi.   
"They expect us at raids, so they are prepared to   
fight. But if we go into one of *their* places, and   
catch them where they think they're safest, we'll   
get more and send out a bigger threat."  
  
"So it will work?" Minako asked doubtfully.  
  
"Minako, Minako, Minako." Usagi shook her   
head. "Of course. I'm going to kick Nega-butt."  
  
"Aren't we confident, Ms. I-can't-even-kick-  
butt-in training." Rei smirked.  
  
Usagi smiled to herself. In order to throw   
them off, she'd been doing awful in practice with   
the senshi.  
  
None of them noticed how well she fought the   
youma.  
  
Well, except Luna.  
  
************************  
  
  
  
"In all the worlds, in all the galaxies, no   
race was ever so beautiful and powerful as the   
Jukans.   
  
"They had the power of the stars. They   
learned to create wondrous objects that, concealed   
inside them, had energy, and power, beyond any.  
  
"Their planet, Juka, was gorgeous and   
flourishing. They were first in intelligence,   
grace, fighting, power, beauty, you name it.   
  
"But, as they say, Power corrupts itself.   
Finally, the downfall of the Planet Juka was   
inevitable. And did it *ever* fall.   
  
"Think of a puddle. How it's water is like a   
sheet of magic, strong, placid.  
  
"Then someone throws a rock in it and   
everything's gone. That's what happened with Juka.   
No one knew exactly how it began. Slowly, just   
about everyone was taken by Dark Forces and turned   
to black beings.  
  
"The royal family, and a very few other who   
had not been corrupted, the first that carried the   
blood of Eternia, were able to escape, barely. With   
them they took several items, amongst them a Silver   
Crystal." Usagi was dreaming again, watching a   
beautiful stretch of starry universe, a galaxy. A   
voice, full of tears unshed, told a sad tale.  
  
"They came to this Solar System, that they   
called Juka II, because the planet Earth reminded   
them of their destroyed home. But the earthlings   
were afraid of the strange, beautiful people.   
  
"But these were primitives, you see. Little   
more than apes. The Jukans realized this, and left.   
They instead, created a wonderful kingdom on the   
moon and the other planets, each person taking a   
planet for themselves. The Ary gave them power to   
create a race of people, and the Jukans were   
allowed to pick the traits of the people of their   
kingdoms.  
  
"Each of them were allowed to take some of   
the items saved.  
  
"Queen of Mercury decided to have her people   
quiet, intelligent, and peaceful. She chose a harp   
that controlled the forces of Ice and Water. She   
also took a computer.   
  
"King of Venus was a vain man, and wished his   
people to be beautiful, shrewd, but beautiful. He   
took a wreath in the shape of a heart, and a chain   
of hearts. He took the Crescent Beam, although he   
had no use for it, and though The Crescent Beam was   
originally intended for the Moon Kingdom.  
  
"Queen of Mars wished her people to be gifted   
mages, or psychics. She took a bow and arrow, that   
had the power of fire. She also took the Celestial   
Rings, that controlled the zodiac to a point. Also,   
a phoenix that could be summoned.  
  
"Queen of Jupiter loved nature, but also had   
a love for storms. She wanted her people to love   
the lightning, not to fear it. She took the Wreath   
of Laurel, and The Thunder Dragon. She had the most   
power of the inner planets.  
  
"King of Saturn was a pale, but smart man.   
Since he knew none of the others wanted to have   
control of such things, he took the Silence Glaive   
and the powers of Death. He knew that this would   
make him quite powerful, a thing he did not desire.   
So, he put a curse on the glaive, making the owner   
pay a lethal price when it's full extent was used.   
His people were mages, powerful and deadly. Not   
even Queen Mars's talents matched his in the gift   
of healing.  
  
"Queen of Neptune was a quiet beauty. She was   
smart, but not to the point of Queen Mercury. She   
loved the oceans, and wanted her people to be like   
them, as feisty and unpredictable as the sea. She   
took the Trident, as well as the Aqua Mirror, the   
Mirror of Truths.  
  
"Queen of Uranus was a strong woman,   
Amazon, if you will. She wanted her people, to   
be able to take whatever came their way, but to be   
good hearted too. She wanted them to be able to   
make the ultimate sacrifice if needed, but should   
know the limits of kindness. She took the Space   
Sword, and said whatever else was needed they could   
figure for themselves. Her people were truly   
independent.  
  
"King of Pluto was a sad man, and took what   
was left, although it was more deadly than Saturn's   
powers of death and life.  
  
"He took Time. He took the Gates, and the   
Garnet Staff. He wished his people intelligent, but   
not book smarts, like Neptune and Mercury. He   
wanted them to realize how dangerous the little   
things were. He wanted them to know that all   
decisions have a huge influence, even if it's just   
what to wear that morning." The voice paused,   
searching for a way to word it.   
  
"He wanted them to do the impossible. He   
wanted them to understand life."  
  
"I see." Usagi murmured.  
  
"The true blood of Eternia, King of the Moon,   
took the Silver Crystal, the Sword of Artemis, and   
many other things. He wanted his people to be   
everything and more. It was his people that would   
control everything. He wanted them to never be   
corrupted."  
  
"He is one of my ancestors?" Usagi inquired.  
  
"Yes, the first of the line of Serenity. His   
name was Etern, but he had a daughter, and named   
her Serenity. We called the bloodline Eternia,   
because it is Eternal.   
  
"Ever since, the line of Eternia's first born   
was always a girl, and was named Serenity. Your   
mother was Serenity XXI, and received her title at   
the peak of the millennium." The voice said,   
emotionlessly.  
  
"So I would have been Serenity the twenty-  
second?"  
  
"Yes. The line will always be true to the   
owner.... Princess.... you must live forever... and   
so you are blessed, or cursed, with a power that no   
one has ever been given. Not even the Mistress of   
Time.  
  
"The moment you picked up the locket, you   
were immortal."  
  
************************  
  
  
  
Mamoru walked through the streets, head down,   
just walking, with no purpose or zest.  
  
Like his life.  
  
Lately, he'd been having dreams, of a girl in   
shadow, telling him he must find her, to release   
her from her spell.  
  
And another dream, telling him of a battle,   
between senshi and evil, where the senshi lost.  
  
Whether this was past or future, he didn't   
know. He really didn't want to know, either.   
Because he couldn't bear it if it was future.  
  
He didn't want the truth.   
  
As long as he could be ignorant, so be it. As   
they say, Ignorance is bliss.  
  
Or was it?  
  
"Maybe if I followed the senshi..." He said   
to himself. Yes, then he could see who they were...  
  
No. Even he could see the unfairness in that.   
it wouldn't be fair to see their identities and   
them not know his, but he had no desire to tell   
them Tuxedo Kamen was a twenty year old doctor   
named Chiba Mamoru.  
  
He changed his thoughts to the surgery he had   
scheduled to tomorrow...  
  
He hadn't time to scream before a shadowy   
figure came out of the shadows and covered his   
mouth so his scream could not be heard.  
  
  
  
/'  
  
"What?!" Usagi cried, sitting up in bed, a   
scream caught in her throat.  
  
"Usa, please. It's only me." Hin came over   
and sat on the edge of the bed.  
  
"Hin? Oh... it was a dream." Usagi moaned.   
"Damned dreams."  
  
"I'm supposing you know now." Hin said   
softly.  
  
"Know? Oh, yeah. That's what freaked me out,   
not you." Usagi gave him a weak smile.   
  
Hin stood about six foot, around Haruka's   
height. He had strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes   
that were cloudy, as though he was thinking about a   
far away place. He was built for battle, not an   
ounce of fat on his body.  
  
"And what do you think of it?" he asked,   
looking away, at the door, ready to hide if he   
heard footsteps.  
  
"I don't want it." Usagi said immediately. "To   
live forever, even after my friends die? No, I'd   
rather die tomorrow than live forever."  
  
"Don't say that!" Hin said fiercely.  
  
"Geez. It's a joke. Not really like I have   
choice. I suppose I can use it to my advantage."  
  
"Just remember Usagi, some things can make you   
wish you could die... and if you want something so   
much you can feel it-- be careful what you wish   
for."  
  
"I don't need you telling me too." Usagi got   
up and slipped on a robe over her nightgown. "I've   
enough trouble wi--" She never got to finish her   
sentence. A wave of pain came over her and she fell   
to her knees, holding her head. Hin rushed to her   
side.  
  
A simple, yet clear answer came into her   
mind.  
  
Help!  
  
It was Tuxedo Kamen. And he was in trouble.  
  
"Hin... Tuxedo Kamen..." She whispered,   
pushing him away.  
  
"Yes, I feel it too. Your friend is in   
trouble, Princess. Should we wake the senshi or go   
alone. I will protect you."  
  
"I don't think they'll come anyway. Let's go,   
before they hear the racket and wake up. MOON   
SILVER POWER MAKE UP!" She transformed, and then   
together, she and Hin headed to the source of the   
trouble.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen.  
  
************************  
  
  
  
Mamoru struggled, lashing out and hitting   
nothing but air.  
  
"Be still, I tell you. Be still. I am a   
friend!" A man's voice hissed. Mamoru debated, and   
decided to stop fighting him.  
  
It was useless, anyway.  
  
He felt the strong arms release him,   
hesitantly. Mamoru spun around to face his   
attacker, adrenaline rushing through his body.   
Reaching for the magic rose that would give him   
extra strength.  
  
He was looking at the face of Kunzite.  
  
"A friend?!" Mamoru nearly shrieked.  
  
"I am not who you think I am! My name is   
Kage, my Prince. It has taken me a great while to   
determine your whereabouts. I am here to fight with   
you, to destroy the Dark Kingdom that has unjustly   
made a clone of me." Kage spoke with a slight   
accent, and his tone was softer, kinder, than the   
general's.  
  
"A clone?" Mamoru felt like believing his   
story.  
  
"Yes, sire. A clone. Do you not know the   
history of the Dark Kingdom?" he continued as Mamoru   
shook his head. "Well, it is a very long story, but   
to make matters short, because we've company on the   
way, you were Prince of the Earth and I was your   
main protector. I've not proof, but I hope that you   
can believe me."  
  
"Well, a few months ago I'd said you were   
completely loony, Kage, but... since then, my   
life's gotten a bit... *strange*, so I'm gonna   
believe you." Mamoru smiled. His gut told him to   
trust Kage, and lately, he'd figured out that his   
gut was usually right.  
  
Usually.  
  
"My Prince, as I mentioned, two people,   
approaching at an abnormal speed, are headed this   
way." Kage said, but Mamoru frowned at him.  
  
"My name is Mamoru, or..." He henshined.   
"Tuxedo Kamen. Not 'Prince'."  
  
"You always did dislike titles."  
  
"Alright. Hide... until they get here. Let's   
see who they are before we kick butt." He said,   
jumping onto a window sill above his head. Kage   
shrugged, donned a fuku somewhat like Prince   
Endymion's, only white on silver, instead of   
Endymion's silver on black, and seemed to disappear   
among the shadows.  
  
Three minutes later, Sailor Moon and Hin ran   
into the alley.  
  
"Dammit, I know this is it. Now, where's   
Tuxedo Kamen?" Sailor Moon murmured.  
  
"It was probably a panic situation, Pri-   
Sailor Moon. He saw something that made him panic."   
Hin said.  
  
Up above, Tuxedo Kamen wondered how Sailor   
Moon knew where he was, and who that *guy* was with   
her.  
  
Kunzite stood in shocked realization of who   
Hin and Sailor Moon were.  
  
"Wait. There is something..." Sailor Moon   
slammed the end of her staff on the cold concrete.  
  
"Who's there? In the name of the Moon, I   
demand you show yourself."  
  
Kunzite was cornered.  
  
"Only if you remember, my *princess*, I am   
not who I appear to be." He said kindly, and   
appeared from the shadows. Hin looked confused, but   
Sailor Moon stepped forward.  
  
"Not who you appear to be, eh? You appear to   
be Kunzite." She said forcefully. "Where is Tuxedo   
Kamen?!"  
  
"Safe."  
  
"Sailor Moon, this is not a general. the   
energy emitted from him is good, white. Look." Hin   
pointed out. Sailor Moon nodded.   
  
"Yes, you're right. This must be the real   
Kunzite. I never did believe they were evil."   
Sailor Moon looked at him. "You know who I am?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then don't tell anyone. Where is Tuxedo   
Kamen, anyway?"  
  
"Above you." Kunzite looked at the caped man,   
who climbed down from his perch.  
  
"Great. Do you know *what* time it is?!"   
Sailor Moon yelled. "It's two in the morning! I   
just had a nightmare to end all nightmares, and   
then I come all this way, because Hin and I think   
you're in danger, to see you with Kunzite! Geez!"   
She turned to leave.  
  
"W-wait!" Tuxedo Kamen yelled. She turned   
half-way.  
  
"What?" She asked, noticing that Hin had   
disappeared.  
  
"Do you, by any chance, know where a girl   
named Tsukino Usagi is?" He asked.  
  
"No." Sailor Moon ran.  
  
Why on earth would he want to know about   
*her*?  
  
She ran in the direction of her mother's   
house, a rose clutched in her hand.  
  
  
**********************  
  
  
  
Ikuko stared at knife as though it were a   
youma. What could it mean? Did they know her   
daughter was hiding from Beryl? Or worse, was it a   
ransom note?  
  
She hesitated before taking the few steps   
required and slowly reached toward the knife.  
  
As though it had a life of it's own, Ikuko   
swore the knife turned and nicked her, drawing the   
tiniest bit of blood from her finger.  
  
"Yike!" She yelped. She grabbed the note from   
the knife, leaving it in it's bloody splendor.   
  
Quickly, she began to read:  
  
  
Mama,   
The knife will cut you, as you noticed. But   
fear not, for it won't do it again. That knife has   
very powerful mage properties, and will protect   
you.  
  
I was here tonight, and I listened as you lied to   
Kenji. I am sorry you must, but you must at least   
suspect he is quite loyal to the queen. He knows   
about the 'rebels', and he will turn me, and even   
you and Shingo in, no matter who you are. Those who   
work with Beryl learn ruthlessness fast.  
  
The sight of the dagger must have frightened you,   
but I've got to go. You're coming now. Use it to   
protect yourself...   
  
Usagi.   
  
*********************  
  
  
  
"I am the last of the Jukans, right?" Usagi   
knew this was not a dream. She had been awake when   
she had disappeared from her friend's eyes.  
  
She knew this because she heard their   
startled gasps and screams.  
  
Now, she was in a land of mists and shadows,   
where you could everything and yet nothing.   
  
That was what she had been told once... by a   
woman who's face she remembered not.  
  
"Yes, that is true. But it does not have to   
be." A woman appeared from the lavender fog. She   
was tall, with dark colored hair and startling ruby   
red eyes that flashed in the mistiness. She wore a   
senshi fuku of dark, murky colors, and held a staff   
in shape of a key with an orb at the top that was   
the same shade as the woman's eyes.  
  
"I see, but I do not." Usagi said slowly,   
forcing the words from her lips. "I see why I must   
fight, but I do not see why I must kill. I sense   
you are the one that can give me that answer."  
  
"At one time, princess, I might have been,   
but no more. My name is Sailor Pluto." The fog   
began to disappear.  
  
"No. I can remember a bit about Sailor   
Pluto... she looked like the woman in my dreams,   
and you do not look like her." Usagi was confused   
at the sudden realization of the person in her   
first of many dreams.  
  
"Ah, that was the one before me, the one   
responsible for the mess." Sailor Pluto smiled a   
sad smile.  
  
"She apologized."  
  
"The world is in danger. But, I have not   
brought you here to discuss this. I need to give   
you something." Pluto said. "Normally I would not   
interfere this way, but the warps are in need of   
help."  
  
"Sailor Pluto, one day, after we have won   
this war, I shall help you find peace." Usagi   
promised, as Pluto pressed something into Usagi's   
hand.   
  
It was a stone. It looked like an ordinary   
piece of rose quartz, but Usagi felt it to be much   
more.  
  
"It was the greatest triumph of the Jukans.   
Something more powerful than life or death, but   
concealed in a form so common that none would ever   
recognize it for what it truly was." Pluto   
murmured.  
  
"It is the Moon Heart Stone. It controls the   
Heavens."  
  
  
**********************  
  
  
The senshi and cats were busy being worried   
out of their minds when Usagi reappeared in her   
bedroom, the small pink crystal clutched so tightly   
in her hand she feared it would shatter.  
  
She held in her hand enough power to take   
over the universe and keep it so without   
opposition.  
  
But the only thing the worn out girl wanted   
was to go *home* and sleep.  
  
And by the moon, she would.  
  
"I will defeat Beryl." She whispered. "I   
will."  
  
She calmly walked down the stairs, and   
laughed at the chaos before her. Ami was working on   
her computer with a rage, Rei was meditating,   
Haruka and Michiru were henshined, weapons ready.   
Minako was talking to the cats, while Makoto stood   
aside, looking like she wanted to laugh too. Usagi   
wove through the mess and up to her.  
  
"Usagi, will you just look at them?" She   
asked.  
  
"I know. You get teleported away and chaos   
erupts." Usagi sighed, mockingly. "What will I   
ever do?"  
  
"Well, begin by telling them you're here."   
Makoto suggested. "Before they kill themselves."  
  
"MINNA!" Usagi shouted at the top of her   
lungs.  
  
Silence.  
  
"USAGI!"  
  
*********************  
  
  
  
"You mean, that is the key to the downfall of   
Beryl?" Haruka asked skeptically. "That's a bit easy,   
after what we've been through."   
  
"I know." Usagi nodded. "That's why I'm going   
to try it on a general first." Suddenly, she felt   
Hin's presence. "Minna, I'm *yawn* sleepy. Why   
don't we all hit the sack for tonight and kick some   
butt tomorrow?" She faked.  
  
After a few suspicious glances, the senshi   
grudgedly agreed, and Usagi bounded up the stairs,   
taking them three at a time.  
  
"Real sleepy, isn't she?" She heard Rei's   
sarcastic reply.  
  
She didn't stop until she was in her bedroom,   
door slammed behind her.  
  
"What's up?" She asked.  
  
"Not much, Hime-chan. But--" Hin looked   
troubled as he walked from the shadows of the   
furthest end of the room.   
  
"What did you find out, Hin?" Usagi asked,   
recognizing the tone of voice.  
  
"I think I have found Zoisite, in his reborn   
state. We need to get to him before the Dark   
Kingdom does."  
  
"Zoisite. He will be a big help if you're   
right. Where?" Usagi asked, henshining.  
  
"At the edges of the city."  
  
"That's not too far if we run. Do we want to   
go alone? or should I get a senshi...?"  
  
"One of them, and one who can accept things   
quickly and keep their mouths shut." Hin said.  
  
"Mako-chan." Sailor Moon muttered. Hin   
nodded, and he and Sailor Moon slipped down the   
hall, opening Makoto's door slowly.   
  
The brunette was looking out the window, but   
quickly turned at the creaking of the door.  
  
"Mako! Shush, and henshin. We'll explain on   
the way, Kay?" Makoto nodded, a million questions   
blooming in her mind, but she kept her mouth shut;   
she knew Usagi would tell her. She quickly   
transformed and followed her princess and the   
strange man out of the house and into the   
mysterious beyond.  
  
  
  
  
***********************  
  
  
  
"I see." Jupiter said finally, as they drew   
closer to the spot where Hin claimed he saw   
Zoisite.  
  
Sailor Moon told Jupiter all about Hin, the   
clones, and everything else she thought necessary.   
Jupiter listened attentively, and soon her questions   
were answered.  
  
Except one.  
  
"Does Tuxedo Kamen know who you are, Usa?"   
She asked. Sailor Moon stopped running. Her gaze   
turned to the full moon that hung in the sky.  
  
"I really don't know, Mako."  
  
"Come on. Here is his home." Hin motioned   
urgently to a modest looking house that sat at the   
end of a long street with no cover. it would be a   
mad dash to make sure no one saw them and called   
the cops.  
  
Jupiter and Sailor Moon knew this.  
  
"On the count of three. Don't stop until you   
reach the house. Knock politely, and then run in   
past him." Hin whispered.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"1... 2... 3!" They took off, running faster   
than any had ever seen. They were a blur.   
  
In seconds, they reached the door, and it was   
Jupiter who knocked.  
  
After a few noises inside and a couple of   
crashes and cruses, the door was yanked open by an   
extremely pissed-off man.  
  
The senshi nearly knocked him over as they   
charged into the house, Hin pushing the man a few   
feet back as Sailor Moon slammed the door shut with   
her staff.  
  
"Sailor Senshi..." he muttered, amazed.   
  
"Do you know who you are, sir?" Jupiter   
asked.   
  
"My name is Zoe... but in the past..." he   
trailed off.  
  
"Good. You know that you were Zoisite." Hin   
smiled.  
  
"But I'm not that pathetic excuse of a   
clone!" Zoe persisted.  
  
"We know. Believe me, Zoe, we know." Sailor   
Moon grinned, but a serious frown over came her   
face quickly.  
  
"We need your help, Zoe..."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The senshi were waiting in the living room as   
Sailor Moon, Jupiter, and Zoe approached the house,   
Hin having left.  
  
The had been awake ever since Rei had sensed   
Jupiter and Sailor Moon leaving, and awoken them   
all.   
  
They waited patiently for their return, ready   
to chew the two out.  
  
Luna and Artemis sat in a corner, pondering   
why they would have left so suddenly.  
  
The door knob turned.  
  
Everyone tensed.  
  
Usagi walked in first, followed by Makoto who   
was dragging a man in a trench-coat, his head   
lowered so they could not see his face.  
  
"Usagi! Where have you been?" Ami asked,.  
  
"Minna, I've someone for you to meet, but I   
want everyone to remain seated. If anyone so much   
as moves or throws an attack his way, you will have   
to deal with me." Usagi growled. Haruka raised an   
eyebrow, wondering who usagi could be so protective   
of.  
  
"Come on, Zoe. Show them who you are." Makoto   
urged. Slowly, ever so slowly, the man raised his   
head.  
  
An outraged gasp went through the room.  
  
"Zoisite?" Rei uttered.  
  
"No!" Usagi, Zoe, and Makoto all shouted at   
once.  
  
"No, not Zoisite. He's not a general. Not a   
general, got it? This is the *REAL* Zoisite, from   
the Moon Kingdom. The generals are just clones.   
I've seen the true Kunzite, too. One of my friends   
is looking for Jadeite and Nephrite. But none of you   
must ever doubt that Zoe is not who he says. I   
believe him and that should be proof enough for   
you. If not, well, Mercury, scan him." Usagi said   
to Ami, who hesitated for a minute before taking out   
her small blue computer and hit a few keys to open   
the scanning part. Everyone, including Zoe, held   
their breath for the results.  
  
Memories breaking through in her mind, Ami   
looked up, smiling.  
  
"He's completely void of any negative   
energy." She said, trying her damnedest to keep the   
tears from flowing.  
  
"Well, I suppose he can fight?" Haruka asked,   
standing up.  
  
"Yes..." Makoto didn't know what Haruka and   
getting at.  
  
"Well then. Welcome to the team, Zoe."  
  
*****************************  
  
  
  
"Everyone got it down? It's now or never."   
Sailor Moon tensed.  
  
This was no hit and run attack.  
  
It was no raid.  
  
They were all there, even Tuxedo Kamen and   
Kage. Zoisite had gotten a hold of them and they   
had planned it carefully. The picked a night when   
they knew all three generals would be there. Along   
with a mountain of soldiers.  
  
BUT...  
  
No youma.   
  
General Kunzite hated youma, so when he was   
around, they scattered. So, the odds were more or   
less in the senshi's favor. A lot of scared to   
death humans and three super-youma. And two of   
those super-youma would be very surprised and   
venerable to their real counterparts.   
  
The plan was: Tuxedo Kamen, Sailor Moon, and   
Uranus to go for Nephrite. Zoe and Mercury went for   
Zoisite. Kage and Venus went for Kunzite. The rest   
of the senshi were to cover the other's backs and   
killed any who opposed.  
  
Good plan.  
  
Sure it was...  
  
"Yeah, let's do it!" Jupiter was giddy will   
barely suppressed glee.  
  
"Who gave her sugar?" Neptune demanded. The   
others laughed nervously.  
  
"Come on, senshi. Let's move. I say if we   
just walk right into the meeting room, they'll be   
most surprised." Sailor Moon said, and they took   
off, right through the front doors. The people who   
were going for the generals rushed on, but those   
who weren't stopped and began firing attacks.  
  
Was Luck finally on their side?  
  
**************************  
  
  
The three generals jumped up as the doors   
burst open, and senshi began to jump into the room.  
  
"STOP!" Sailor Moon screeched.  
  
Everyone came to a dead halt. Kunzite and   
Zoisite stared in shock at their counterparts.   
Nephrite swallowed nervously, knowing quite well   
that they were out numbered.  
  
"Go!" Sailor Moon whispered.  
  
Zoe and Mercury leapt for Zoisite.  
  
Kage and Venus went for Kunzite.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen and Uranus started for Nephrite,   
but Sailor Moon stopped them.  
  
"Go help the others. I know it's not in the   
plan, but I want to try something." She said.  
  
"But Sailo--" Uranus started.  
  
"Uranus, do not argue with me. Go." Sailor   
Moon ordered. Uranus sulked out. Tuxedo Kamen   
stared at Sailor Moon, his azure eyes on fire.  
  
"You're going to get yourself killed." He   
hissed.  
  
"No, I'm not. Go help them, Tuxedo Kamen, or   
I will not hesitate to kill you." She said icily.   
His jaw went slack, but he backed from the room.  
  
Sailor Moon faced Nephrite.  
  
Nephrite looked at Sailor Moon, realizing the   
girl told the others to leave so he would have a   
fair chance.  
  
He wondered why she had done that.  
  
"Shall we tango?" Sailor Moon asked. Nephrite   
didn't know what to do. She had some secret... a   
power..., Nephrite was sure.  
  
"Why not?" He asked, smirking, his face the   
stoic mask he had trained it to be.  
  
"You're scared, Nephrite." Sailor Moon half   
smiled.   
  
"Never!" Nephrite took out the sword   
concealed behind his back and went for the blonde   
girl. She rolled out of the way, whirled around, and   
hit him over the back with her staff.  
  
Pain surged through him, but he ignored it   
and went for a low blow.  
  
She was nicked, just barely. She took a swipe   
at him and missed.  
  
He brought the sword down heavy on her, only   
to be blocked by her staff.  
  
She aimed a blast at him, but he countered   
and the two canceled each other out.  
  
They broke apart, both panting.  
  
"You're better than I thought." Nephrite   
smiled.  
  
"Heart!" Sailor Moon whispered. The stone   
appeared in front of her. She reached out and put   
it in the center of her staff. it glowed with   
pinkish energy.  
  
Nephrite took a step back. This looked like a   
common rock, but the energy he felt was immense...   
stronger than anything he had ever felt before.  
  
"Eternal." She continued. The glow was even   
stronger now. The generals stopped fighting, as did   
the senshi, to watch it.  
  
"Oh. no." Nephrite whispered.  
  
"Cleansing." Came the final word. Instead of   
the pain he expected, there was this wonderful   
white light that beckoned him...  
  
Nephrite exploded into dust, at the exact   
time the crystal did.  
Sailor Moon smiled. She knew exactly what   
  
would happen to the gem, and it's what she wanted   
to happen.  
  
She twirled the staff around and stuck the   
ground with it. She turned to see Minako.  
  
Not Venus, Minako.  
  
Laying on the floor, her arm at an unnatural   
angle, out cold.   
  
"Let's go, Zoisite." Kunzite whispered. he   
had gotten a good look at the girl, and recognized   
her.  
  
Zoisite mumbled something, and they   
disappeared.  
  
"Minako!" Kage yelled, and knelt by her side.   
Mercury began scanning her, and affirmed that the   
arm was indeed broken.  
  
"That bastard..." Kage whispered, meaning   
Kunzite, Of course.  
  
"It's okay, Kage." A new voice said. They all   
turned to see a girl of no more than thirteen   
standing there, a deadly glaive in her hand, her   
senshi fuku was in blacks and purples, a gray   
crystalline in the center of her bow.  
  
"Who are you?" Zoe asked, but Sailor Moon   
fell back a step.  
  
"I'm Sailor Saturn."  
  
"The Dark Messiah." Sailor Moon whispered.  
  
*****************************   
  
  
Sailor Moon stared at Saturn.  
  
Saturn stared at Sailor Moon.  
  
"Perhaps we shall talk later, my princess."   
Saturn smiled, and arched an eyebrow. She was void   
of, and yet completely full of, emotion.  
  
"Y-yes." Sailor Moon stammered, but she   
asserted herself and turned to Zoe and Mercury.  
  
"See if the others need help. If there's more   
than you can handle, comeback and get me." She said   
softly, and the two ran, confident in their   
princess and the new senshi.  
  
Kage was looking at Saturn, a memory   
struggling to reach his conscious  
  
"Can you help her?" He pleaded. Saturn   
inspected the arm, laying down the razor sharp   
glaive.  
  
"Of course. It's a clean break. Kunzite, no   
matter what the body, always knew how to fight. I   
hope you remember what you taught." She smiled   
briefly at him before gently putting her hand on   
the broken spot.  
  
A soft purple light filled the air around   
them, and then it was done. Saturn took away her   
hand.  
  
"She'll be weak, and she's not going to wake   
up for a while. Stay and protect her, Kage. I know   
you shall." Sailor Moon said, then pulled Saturn   
away.  
  
"Sailor Saturn."  
  
"I'm awake, Hime-sama. I know it was not to   
be, but the lines have been altered to greatly that   
soon, there will be no hope. I awakened myself and   
Pluto told me who I was and told me to come here to   
help. I will not use the Power of Death, I promise,   
unless I see need to."  
  
"Well, then, that answered my questions and   
answered my demand. Shall we go help?"  
  
"Yes, because they need it. There is a great   
many youma out there, although the soldiers have all   
been killed." Saturn got a determined, almost   
sinister glint in her eye. "I killed a few on my   
in, but your protectors need help."  
  
"Youma?"  
  
"Yes, Kunzite permitted them to fight as soon   
as you entered."  
  
"Dammit!"  
  
  
***************************  
  
  
  
"SILENCE GLAIVE APPLY!" Saturn shouted,   
taking out about five of the vile demons. Mercury   
and Zoe had almost max power, but it was obvious   
the others were struggling. All had wounds, some   
so-so, some not so good.  
  
"MOON!" Sailor Moon screamed in a whisper.   
She brought the staff above her head with one hand.   
At the crescent moon at the end, a golden glow   
appeared.  
  
"ABSOLUTE!" She twirled it around twice, and   
then slammed it into the floor with a sound that   
shook them all.  
  
"CHAOS!" The room was enveloped in a dark   
white glow, almost gray but not quite.   
  
The youma began screaming, an animal like   
howl that they knew would haunt their dreams. They   
crumpled to the ground, easy targets for even the   
weakest attack. They were soon vanquished.  
  
Saturn went from person to person, taking   
care of the worst, Sailor Moon helping.  
  
Then, she told them the fate of the crystal.   
Saturn smiled faintly, while the others stared,   
open mouthed in shock.  
  
"Then all is lost..."   
  
"No! Sailor Mercury, if you *ever* say that   
again..." Sailor Moon searched for a suitable   
punishment. "Oh, I don't know... I'll make you   
watch Barney re-runs."  
  
"No! Not Barney!"  
  
***************************  
  
  
"Princess." Saturn pulled Sailor Moon into   
the kitchen, as the other senshi were all in the   
living room, still henshined as Tuxedo Kamen and   
Kage were there.  
  
"Please, Saturn. Call me Moon. Sup?" Sailor   
Moon asked.  
  
"You destroyed that crystal on purpose,   
Sailor Moon. I know it." Saturn looked a bit   
confused.  
  
"Yes, yes I did." Sailor Moon admitted. "I   
was wondering if someone figured it out."  
  
"Why? You could have taken the Dark Kingdom   
out in one great swipe... but you destroy the very   
weapon that could do so."  
  
"Saturn, I'm not a warrior. I was never meant   
to be. But I do know that if I will win this war,   
I will only do so in a far battle. I'm not going to   
die, though. Didn't Pluto tell you? I'm a god. I   
could stick a damned knife into my heart and   
nothing would happen. I'm going to live forever,   
how wonderful!" Sailor Moon groaned.  
  
"Yes, she told me." Saturn said quietly.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Well, what?"  
  
"Well, aren't you going to give me some big   
lecture about being insane, then send me out?" She   
spoke to the girl like Saturn was an older woman,   
not the twelve year old she was.  
  
"No, Hime-sama. I respect your courage, and   
decisions."  
  
"hello?" Kage walked in the kitchen. "Sailor   
Moon, Usa, I've something to tell you, against my   
prince's will, but I think it proper for you to   
know." He said, and whispered something into her   
ear.  
  
Sailor Moon's face went completely white, and   
drew in her breath with a gasp. She clutched at her   
  
throat with her hand, and jerked away from Kage.  
  
"You're sure?" She gasped.  
  
"No, I just live with him." Kage replied   
dryly.  
  
Sailor Moon let out an oath unfit for   
children's ears, and then ran from the room, her   
staff giving her leverage. The senshi were startled   
as she rushed by them, a blur.  
  
She didn't stop running until her breath was   
gone, and the only because her legs felt ready to   
give out.  
  
She supposed she suspected it all along. It   
was only obvious, the way Mamoru looked for her   
even after she had been gone for a very long time.  
  
"Yes, you know now." A voice from behind her.  
  
Hin.  
  
"You knew?"  
  
"I know a very much, my Princess. Yes, Tuxedo   
Kamen is Prince Endymion and Mamoru Chiba. You knew   
or know all of them."  
  
"I suppose I knew."  
  
"You did. But as you have been told before,   
only what you believe is, *is*."  
  
"I hate that."  
  
"It's true, nonetheless."  
  
"I don't know anymore, Hin. I just don't   
know..."  
  
  
  
  
Two months.  
  
Two months of Usagi avoiding Mamoru, Sailor   
Moon avoiding Tuxedo Kamen. She was careful to   
never speak to him, and if it was necessary,   
standing on the opposite side of the room. She   
didn't tell anyone she knew who he was.  
  
The youma and soldiers stopped doing raids.   
All their buildings had maximum defenses. The   
senshi attacked only when necessary, or when they   
felt like it. Ami, Hotaru, Usagi, and Michiru   
planned strategies, while the others developed   
their powers better.   
  
They had found Jake, who was the real Jadeite,   
and Neo, who was the true Nephrite.   
  
General Zoisite had been-- eliminated from   
command. General Kunzite was working alone, but he   
never appeared at their attacks.  
  
"Guys." Sailor Moon called for everyone's   
attention. She looked troubled, but the senshi,   
protectors and Tuxedo Kamen looked at her, all   
wondering what she had to say.  
  
"Minna, this is a good plan, and I don't want   
anyone to say a word abut it unless they have a   
*REAL* reason not to do this. Tsukino Kenji holds   
a top position in Beryl's Kingdom."  
  
"Sailor Moon, what are you going to do?"   
asked Jupiter, an alarmed look on her face.  
  
"In order to threaten Beryl, I say we kidnap   
him." continued Sailor Moon. She shot a glare at   
the senshi, who had automatically opened their   
mouths to protest. The generals fell silent, all   
looking at each other.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen spoke up.  
  
"I can't." He said. "He is the father of a   
friend of mine."   
  
Everyone but him and Sailor Moon groaned.  
  
"Really? Well that means you'll be sitting   
this one out, Tux." Sailor Moon said, speaking to   
him directly. "Because Mercury has a plan all   
done. I know all the security mechanisms in the   
house. Tsukino Ikuko will help me. Tsukino Shingo,   
the boy, is not to be harmed, as well as Ikuko. Do   
not harm Kenji unless it is necessary. Everyone   
got it?" She looked around the room.   
  
They nodded, but Tuxedo Kamen left in a fury.  
  
"I'll go first." Sailor Moon murmured,   
detransforming. "Mama will let me in, and I'll   
tell her what we're going to do. She'll stay back,   
and I want Uranus and Neo to go in. Uranus, go for   
my papa. Neo, if I say it's safe, I want you to go   
to his study. I'll help Uranus, and Mars? If one   
of us isn't out into two minutes, I want you and   
Neptune in. If they need help, I want you guys to   
be on guard. He might be able to call back up."   
Usagi said as she pulled on a black coat and hood   
that hid her face.  
  
"We'll be following you, Hime-san. Be   
careful." Jake grinned.  
  
Usagi ran out the door, heading for home.  
  
*****************  
  
  
Ikuko looked out the kitchen window, worrying   
about her daughter. There had been no note or rose   
for two weeks, and she didn't know what to think.   
  
The doorbell rang.  
  
"I'll get it!" She called to her husband, who   
was reading his paper. He grunted a reply. She   
made her way down the hallway, and took off her   
apron before opening the door.  
  
A figure in black stood there.  
  
"Hurry." The figure said, and closed the door   
behind her as she stepped in. "Mama, be quiet."   
  
"Usagi!" Ikuko gasped.  
  
"Yes, mama. It's me. No, don't call Kenji. I   
can't stay."  
  
"Oh, please, Usagi. I've been worried." Ikuko   
pleaded.  
  
"I know. The last few months have been   
hectic, Mama. But listen. In about ten minutes,   
two of my friends are going to bust in. They're   
going to kidnap papa. You and Shingo must not get   
in the way. I promise, he won't be harmed."  
  
"But Usagi... he's your father!" Ikuko   
breathed.  
  
"Not really. Now, come on. They'll be coming   
in the front door." Usagi ushered her mother down   
the hall a ways.  
  
"Usagi, what have you been up to? I haven't   
heard from you in a long time." Ikuko tried to   
smile.  
  
"We've made a dent, mama. It's not a big one,   
but three generals are dead, and Kunzite's scared   
out of his mind. I've been working with the   
senshi." Usagi told her.   
  
"Senshi!"  
  
"Yes. Senshi. Sailor Uranus and Neo are   
coming..." Usagi said, just as the door was flung   
open. Uranus went through. Usagi pointed her to   
the den.  
  
"Neo!" Usagi hissed.   
  
"Nephrite..." Ikuko whispered.  
  
"What, Hime-san?" Neo asked.   
  
"Neo, do me a favor. Go upstairs, and turn   
left. the first door you see is Kenji's study. I   
want you to go and get anything that looks   
important. Now!" She pushed him in the direction   
of the stairs.  
  
"Gotcha." He ran up the stairs so fast it   
seemed as though he were flying.  
  
"Mama, do you know of anything?" Usagi asked.  
  
"No... your father doesn't talk about Beryl."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Dammit!" They both heard. Usagi went to the   
doorway and looked in.   
  
Uranus and Kenji were fighting. Kenji had a   
knife, and Uranus was struggling to keep her   
temper in check as to not blow the man's head off.  
  
"Uranus, keep him occupied!" Usagi shouted,   
and pulled out the staff. She ran behind Kenji and   
swung.  
  
The staff connected with a sickening crack.  
  
Kenji dropped like someone had dropped an   
anvil on him.  
  
Uranus thanked her, and picked Kenji up and   
slung him over her shoulder like a sack of   
potatoes.  
  
Neo came down the stairs, a strong-box in his   
hands.  
  
Ikuko watched as Neo and Uranus ran off.  
  
"Gomen Nasai, Mama. I had to." She apologized   
and put her staff up.  
  
"Is it necessary, all this?" Ikuko asked.  
  
"I don't know, I really don't. But I'll keep   
a senshi watching over the house, because they're   
going to question you horribly. Jake will have   
first shift. He looks a little like Jadeite, but   
he's good, Mama." Usagi said.  
  
"If you must go..."  
  
"I must. Good bye."  
  
**  
  
  
A few blocks away, Usagi ducked into an   
alley, where the now, tied and gagged Kenji was   
sitting, still out. Usagi quickly henshined and   
told Jake about her plan and Ikuko. He nodded and   
immediately left.  
  
"He's coming to." Mercury whispered.  
  
"Neo, you, Zoe and Mercury head back. Go over   
those documents. Mars, knock him out again-- no!   
Not like that, baka-chan, with the chloroform!"   
Sailor Moon shook her head.  
  
"Who wants to carry him?" Jupiter asked.  
  
"Not me!" Saturn, Venus, Mars, Neptune, and   
Sailor Moon said immediately.  
  
Kage looked around.  
  
"Fine. I'll carry him. Geesh."   
  
  
  
**********************  
  
  
  
Kenji woke up with a terrific headache. He   
groaned, before his eyes adjusted to the dim   
lighting of where ever he was.  
  
"Where am I?" he tried to say. With the gag,   
it sounded like, Mrphf mr r?  
  
"He's awake." Sailor Uranus whispered.  
  
"Great. Another problem." Neo murmured.   
Sailor Moon motioned for them to shut up  
  
"I'll do this. If I stumble, someone   
interrupt." She whispered.  
  
"Mrhfhrmrpf!!" Kenji yelled against the gag.  
  
"Shut up." Sailor Moon said, thumping her   
staff against the floor as she walked closer to   
him.   
  
The senshi watched her, wondering what she   
would say to him, her earthly father.  
  
"Tsukino Kenji, Konichiwa. If I take off your   
gag, will you scream?" She asked, in a cold voice.   
He glared at her as he shook his head. She pulled   
the gag off harshly.  
  
"Sailor Senshi." He spat.  
  
She felt her heart break.  
  
"Yes, Sailor Senshi." She said. "Will you   
tell us what you know about the Queen? Or will you   
remain silent? It's okay, either way. We have very   
gifted mages. I will simply have Sailor Mars read   
your mind. And she will see far more than you   
want." Moon bluffed. Mars couldn't really read   
minds, she could just tell basic emotions.   
Neptune's mirror might see something, but truly,   
she was the only one with such abilities.  
  
"Liar." Kenji snorted.  
  
"Fine. We will attend to that later." Sailor   
Moon pulled up a chair so that it was facing   
Kenji, and sat down. "I just want to know what   
Queen Beryl has told you about us. We have a right   
to know, you know."  
  
"She said that you were conniving witches that   
would kill us all if given the opportunity." Kenji   
said arrogantly.   
  
"Oh, really? Then do tell me, Kenji, why did   
we spare your life? Or the lives of your wife and   
son?" Sailor Moon asked.  
  
"You killed my daughter." Kenji said.  
  
Sailor Moon's face went white.   
  
"That is a lie, Mr. Tsukino. We fight to   
protect your lives. We risk our own to break up   
raids and destroy the youma that killed so many in   
the Great War. We do not, under any circumstances,   
kill civilians." Sailor Moon said. "Where your   
daughter is, Mr. Tsukino, I truly, just don't   
know." She said truthfully.  
  
"Why do you do it?"  
  
"I would have told you, not so long ago, that   
it is really to save your lives from Beryl. But, I   
can't do that. Because I respect you, even if you   
are on our enemies side. Beryl killed my mother,   
my father, my family. She killed everyone I knew   
and loved. She sits on a throne that rightly   
belongs to another. I fight to avenge those   
people."  
  
"Everyone?" Kenji whispered.  
  
"Everyone, Tsukino-san. It was so very long   
ago, a thousand years to the day, almost. My   
mother was a very special person, Kenji-san. She   
was a very powerful woman, but used it for good.   
My fiancé died, my friends, my advisors and   
mentors, my whole life. I died too, just to be   
reborn on a world that was taken over by the woman   
I despise. I don't expect you to believe me."  
  
"You died?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Sailor Moon, do you know where my daughter   
is? Her name is Usagi." Kenji asked.  
  
Sailor Moon turned away.  
  
"Not really, Tsukino-san."  
  
"Not really?"  
  
"I thought I did, but... obviously not."  
  
"Oh." Kenji sighed, and for an instant, he   
looked like an old man.  
  
"I'm sorry. Please, Kenji, will you help us?"   
  
"Sailor Moon, Neo has something to tell you."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It's about the.... you know..." Mercury   
flushed.  
  
"Oh. Um... Jupiter, talk to him. Don't let   
anything slip, but tell him what you know about my   
Kingdom." Sailor Moon chose the senshi she thought   
least likely to blow her cool and slipped from the   
room.  
  
"Hime-san!" Neo was pale, and breathless. He   
held a paper in his hand.  
  
"What's wrong, Neo?"  
  
"Beryl.... beryl... She's planning on   
attacking Tokyo!"  
  
  
  
  
  
A pool of red. She was laying in a pool of   
red liquid... but was it? It wasn't water, she   
could vaguely remember that water was blue, or   
green, not red.  
  
What kind of water was red?  
  
Blood. It was blood. Was it her own? No, she   
didn't appear to be hurt. She didn't feel hurt.  
  
It all came rushing back to her. She felt   
like she had been hit with a ton of bricks. She   
propped herself up, to see a bloodbath. Soldiers   
and youma, all dead, laying, blood stained on   
their faces, rips in their stomachs that showed   
glistening pink intestines, some with no heads,   
veins and arteries coming from their necks.   
  
What had she done?!  
  
"What is this?" She asked, hysterical.   
  
"Hime-chan." Hin appeared in front of her. He   
helped her up.  
  
"Did I do this?" She asked, shakily.   
  
Hin nodded, gravely.  
  
"Yes, you did. This was one of the main base.   
I've no idea how you managed it, Princess. You ran   
from the house, after Neo told you all the   
details, and automatically came here. I watched you   
fight for a while, before Tuxedo Kamen came and   
helped you, although he kept yelling about how   
this was a suicide mission. I fought after he was   
knocked out. Do you remember now?"  
  
"Oh, my god." She whispered. She did remember   
now. How she came here in her rage and fury at   
Beryl to kill the men who would do it. She   
remembered...  
  
"Mamoru." She ran and knelt by his side. She   
was relieved at his ragged breathing. She hugged   
him, crying.   
  
What had she been thinking when she came   
here?  
  
"Hime-san, You have defeated half of Queen   
Beryl's main forces." Hin said quietly.  
  
"You and Tux helped." Sailor Moon said,   
in-between her sobs.   
  
"I killed less than ten. Tuxedo Kamen maybe   
got a few soldiers. His roses and cane isn't   
much."  
  
"How could I have done this, Hin? This was   
murder...."  
  
"No, Usagi." Hin watched silently as Sailor   
Moon sobbed, still hugging Tuxedo Kamen. The man   
was breathing, of course, but had been knocked out   
cold as one of the youma flung him against a steel   
beam.  
  
Beryl had ordered her forces to attack the   
city, to slaughter as many as possible. Kenji   
hadn't known about this; it was in an envelope   
that he was not allowed to open until it was too   
late.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen stirred slightly. Sailor Moon   
didn't notice it, but Hin did. he disappeared,   
just as Mamoru came to.  
  
The first thing he saw were blonde odango.  
  
"Sailor Moon." He whispered, but she didn't   
hear him; she was sobbing over her memories.  
  
"Sailor Moon." He sat up. Moon jumped,   
startled.   
  
"Mamoru!" She yelped, then clamped a hand   
over her mouth. She jumped away from him.  
"Wha?" He was still a little distorted by the   
  
terrific throbbing in his head, but he could have   
sworn he heard her say his real name.  
  
"Mam--! Tuxedo Kamen, I'm so sorry... are you   
hurt?" She asked, helping him to his feet. He   
looked at her suspiciously.  
  
"I've go to go..." Sailor Moon turned and   
fled, leaving Tuxedo Kamen to wonder how she had   
figured out his identity.  
  
  
  
*********************  
  
  
"I'm a failure, Mother. I'm so sorry. I   
tried..." Princess Serenity wept to the moon. She   
was in her full princess attire, standing at the   
edge of the dock, gazing at the moonlit sky.  
  
"Princess, what do you mean by failure?"   
Sailor Pluto asked gently, appearing behind the   
girl.  
  
"I killed, Pluto. Killed." She sobbed. "I've   
been killing all along. Isn't there a better way?"  
  
"If there was... you would find it. But you   
killed in self defense. They would have killed the   
city, and you stopped that. It will be a long   
while before Queen Beryl has the power to attack   
again. She is weak right now, Hime-sama."  
  
"I do not wish to kill."   
  
"I know. but there is nothing I can do."  
  
"Nothing?" Serenity asked. "Nothing? Are you   
sure, Sailor Pluto. You could go back in time and   
prevent this mess from happening."   
  
"If you only knew how easy that would be, My   
princess. But I cannot. You must go back, own up   
to your actions, and be the leader they need you   
to be."  
  
"I am not meant to be a warrior!"  
  
"You were. Look at your spirit, child."   
Sailor Pluto said softly. A dark red light   
appeared in front of Sailor Moon, and slowly took   
form of a sword, it's blade silver and the hilt   
gold, a moon engraved where the two met.  
  
"A sword..."  
  
"Not just any sword, mind you. Do you know of   
the legend?   
  
"Any one of the Etern Blood that has a soul   
that can take shape of the Eternal Sword is a   
warrior that none can defeat. You must believe,   
Sailor Moon, my princess. Reach out and take it.   
If you believe it is there, it will be so." Pluto   
smiled.  
  
Princess Serenity hesitantly reached towards   
the wonderful blade, her azure eyes closed in   
concentration. Her fingers slowly touched the cool   
surface of the hilt, and a beautiful warm feeling   
surged through her body. She felt free, uplifted.   
Her soul healed, and her mind became clear.  
  
Her eyes opened, no longer a pure, midnight   
blue, but a dark blue-silver. Her hair went from   
it's straw blonde to a whitish-silver color,   
darker than that of her eyes.  
  
A moon appeared on her forehead, only to be   
shifted and reformed so that it was a full moon   
with an infinity symbol inside.  
  
Her dress changed dramatically, going from the   
frilly white princess dress to an elegant, yet   
simple dark blue gown that touched the ground.  
  
"I feel... different." She said slowly. Her   
voice had a slight accent to it that made her   
words sound like music.  
  
"You now carry the soul of Etern, as you did   
before, only stronger. Serenity XXI, your mother,   
had only a smidgen of the blood in her body. there   
was doubt you had it at all. Now it was if you   
were his own daughter." Pluto waved and   
disappeared.  
  
Serenity looked around her.   
  
She felt that her senses had been heightened.   
She saw more, heard more. She felt strength within   
her body, almost twenty times of what she was as   
Sailor Moon.  
  
The sword remained in her hand, until she put   
it away in her sub space pocket. She began the   
walk home, not sure of what they would think of   
the new her.  
  
  
  
**********************  
  
  
  
"She just ran off?" Mars raged.   
  
Tuxedo Kamen had returned to the senshi's   
house, and told them of the fight. At first they   
didn't believe him, until both Neptune and Mercury   
affirmed it.   
  
Now they were yelling at him because he let   
Sailor Moon run.  
  
"Well, I was in a bit of shock, ya know, and   
my head felt like crap because I was thrown into a   
steel beam!! And the shock was because she knew my   
name!"  
  
"Well, she just killed a LOT of people, and   
she's always hated killing in the first place!"   
Luna yelled at him.  
  
"She's probably off sobbing somewhere."   
Artemis suggested.  
  
"I'm right here, Artemis." Serenity said,   
from the doorway. "I am sorry to have run off like   
that, Tuxedo Kamen-sama. Minna, you should not   
have blamed him for such." She said, her accent   
quite noticeable.  
  
They stared at her, open mouthed.  
  
"I think I'm seeing things." Uranus raised an   
eyebrow. "And hearing things."  
  
"Luna, do you recognize me?" Serenity asked.   
Luna and Artemis were on the verge of passing out.  
  
"Eternia." Luna whispered.  
  
"She's got the symbol, alright." Artemis was   
first to recover his senses. "Usagi, you have the   
true blood of Etern. More so than I have ever   
seen." He admired.  
  
"Pluto said I was the one with the Eternal   
Sword. I was the one that was not defeatable. I am   
already immortal, and now this?" Serenity shook her   
head, while Tuxedo Kamen drew in the information.  
  
"The sword." Luna murmured. "I thought it was   
just a legend."  
  
"Like the dress, Usa." Venus grinned.  
  
"And the whole silver eyes and hair thing is   
way radical." Jupiter gave Usagi a V for Victory sign.  
  
"Your power level is beyond the Mercury   
computer." Sailor Mercury gave up her scan.  
  
"My princess." Saturn bowed quickly.   
  
"Usagi!" Tuxedo Kamen exclaimed.  
  
Zoe, Neo, and Kage, who had been speechless   
until that moment, face faulted.  
  
"My prince, I think it's time we should   
leave..." suggested Kage.  
  
"Yes, I need to go relieve Jake of his   
shift..." Neo slipped out the door and was gone.  
  
Zoe looked around, but could think of   
nothing, so he dove and hid behind Mercury.  
  
"Explosion." Mars mouthed to Venus.  
  
"Yes, I am, Mamoru." Serenity said. "What do   
you think of it? The Queen of the universe is just   
a klutzy fifteen year old." She said, anger   
growing for no reason. "And do you see now that   
Beryl is evil? I hope Kenji does."  
  
"That reminds me." Uranus spoke up. "Kenji   
gave us some very valuable info about the security   
systems of the Dark Kingdom after Neo showed him   
the papers. Your father is at home now, Jake is   
still there."  
  
"Really." Serenity looked down at her dress,   
at the sleekness of it. "I do believe I like this   
dress better. At least I could actually fight in   
this. That stupid frilly one was ridiculous." She   
sighed, and looked back at Tuxedo Kamen.  
  
"I don't know what you remember about the   
past, mister, but if you care to remember, it IS   
in the past." She said, although, strangely, it   
hurt to say the words.   
  
"But--" He started. Serenity held up a hand.  
  
"No. You will remember that." She ran up the   
stairs, powering down as she did so.   
  
"I can't fall in love... I can't." She   
whispered.  
  
************************  
  
  
A field of flowers.  
  
Lovely, blue and pink flowers that gave off a   
fragrance so heavenly one thought you were   
actually in heaven.  
  
A girl, with blonde hair pulled into odango   
and sky blue eyes that sparkled in excitement   
wearing a white, frilly dress ran from a man with   
dark hair and the deepest midnight blue eyes in   
armor. They laughed, and Usagi could tell they   
were having a wonderful time. The man caught the   
girl and they both went rolling in the grass, and   
when they stopped, they shared an earth shattering   
kiss...  
  
Usagi sighed. She recognized the couples   
quite clearly, and remembered the day.   
  
The scene changed, drastically.  
  
The same man, only he had a serious,   
determined glint in his eyes. He faced off against   
a creature more horrible than fear itself. She   
stood a thousand feet tall, with har as red as   
blood and eyes the most peculiar shade of yellow.   
Evil energy radiated from her.   
  
With one mighty blow, the wicked woman   
crushed the man, Prince Endymion.  
  
Princess Serenity, the girl from before, ran   
for her fallen lover, and got to his side just in   
time for him to whisper good bye.   
  
Serenity cried out in anguish and brought his   
sword to her stomach...  
  
The scene changed again.  
  
And again.   
  
Some of them were happy, some of them not.   
Each of them depicted a bit of the Silver   
Millennium. Each time Usagi remembered more, and   
learned things she didn't know.  
  
She woke up, a scream caught in her throat   
and her mind swimming with images.  
  
  
*************************  
  
  
Mamoru had returned to his apartment that he   
shared with Kage. He thought about how the senshi   
had given up their families to fight.   
  
He had been a bit surprised at Usagi's   
outburst, and her new look.   
  
What was so important in the past?  
  
"Kage." He said. Kage spun around so fast   
Mamoru was afraid his head would fly off.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What did she mean, about the past?" he   
asked, and watched Kage face fault.  
  
"Heh heh... um... no clue?"   
  
"Get real. You know exactly what she was   
talking about, so did the senshi. What did she   
mean?" Mamoru pressed.  
  
"My prince, this is not a good topic..." Kage   
tried to back away.  
  
"I don't care, Kage. What did she mean?"  
  
"Well... I've no clue of how to put this to   
you, so... in the Silver Millennium, in the past,   
you and the princess... were um..."  
  
"Spit it out, *already*." Mamoru grumbled.   
He can be soo dense.  
  
  
"You were engaged, my prince. Lovers." Kage   
sighed, face red.  
  
"WHA?!" Mamoru choked.  
  
"Yes. That's right. Now breath, before I have   
to tell the funeral parlor what kind of flowers to   
put at your wake."  
  
"We were..." Mamoru trailed off, and began   
banging his head on the wall.  
  
Thump Thump Thump.  
  
"Duh Duh Duh!" Mamoru realized it. Finally.   
The reason for his feeling about Usagi.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Nothing, Kage. Thanks for telling me."   
  
***************************  
  
  
"I am the world. I *am* the world. I am the   
*world*. *I* am the *world*." Beryl chanted,   
trying to sooth her nerves.  
  
She knew she was losing. They had just gotten   
word of the main part of their forces being   
defeated by Sailor Moon herself, with hardly any   
help.   
  
The problem was, she didn't know who Sailor   
Moon was. There was old saying she had heard once,   
Know your friends. Know your enemies better.  
  
But they didn't know a thing about Sailor   
Moon.  
  
Three of her generals gone. Three fourths of   
her army vanquished. The energy reserves were low.   
Metalia was becoming more and more angry with her.   
Kunzite was babbling about four men who were exact   
copies of the generals.   
  
She had a good reason for stress, if you ask   
me.  
  
"My queen, Kunzite wishes to see you." one of   
the lower ranking youma said, timidly.  
  
"Fine, fine." She murmured, and went back to   
chanting.  
  
"My Queen." Kunzite announced his presence.   
Beryl looked up.  
  
Kunzite was swearing the biggest smile. Like   
he had found out a secret and couldn't wait to   
tell.  
  
"What is it, Kunzite?" She snapped.  
  
"I have some interesting news."  
  
"And that would be? I hate mysteries,   
Kunzite!"  
  
"We have discovered Sailor Mercury's   
identity, along with Sailor Venus's, my queen."  
  
This was good. Beryl jumped up in her seat,   
her full attention aroused.  
  
"Sailor Venus's true name is Aino Minako.   
Unfortunately, we have no records of her what-so-  
ever, so that is a dead end."  
  
"And Mercury?"  
  
"Her real name is Mizuno Ami."  
  
"Mizuno? Don't we have a--"  
  
"Scientist, yes. Her mother."  
  
"How was this information obtained?"  
  
"I had one of my scouters follow her."  
  
"Do we have a lead on the other senshi's   
identities?"  
  
"Yes. We checked the cameras. Apparently,   
just after the senshi appeared, Mizuno-san   
acquired some new friends. Tsukino Usagi, Hino   
Rei, Aino Minako. And she as been sighted with   
Ten'oh Haruka, and Kaioh Michiru, and Kino Makoto."  
  
"So? These do not prove that they are Sailor   
Senshi."  
  
"Yes, but all of them have been reported as   
runaways, except for Tsukino Usagi, and she cannot   
be reached. She hasn't been to school for many   
months." Kunzite smiled. "AND, she fits the   
description of Sailor Moon exactly."  
  
Sailor Moon!  
  
"You have my permission to take any course of   
action necessary, but you are not to kill Sailor   
Moon when she has been captured. I wish to deal   
with her myself." Beryl had a feeling she'd sleep   
easy tonight.  
  
  
****************************   
  
  
  
It had taken Usagi a good while to fall   
asleep again after the onslaught of memories.  
  
Now she sprang awake again. Before she could   
think, she grabbed the locket.  
  
"MOON SILVER POWER MAKE UP!" She screamed.  
  
Nothing happened!  
  
She looked at the locket in shock. What was   
wrong with it? Why couldn't she transform? Did her   
blood effect it... yes, that must be it.  
  
But how would she transform?  
  
An idea seeped into her mind, a whim of a   
thing, but she had nothing to loose.  
  
"MOON CELESTIAL POWER MAKE UP!" A magical   
light came and hid her from view, though no one   
was watching.  
  
There were no real changes to the fuku   
itself, but the locket had been replaced by the   
Silver Crystal, but the crystal itself was a   
bluish color, not the clear crystal she   
remembered. She wasn't alarmed, she felt it was   
right. Her hair and eyes were different. In her   
hand was the staff, but the sword was at her   
waist, sheathed.  
  
A new power was running through her body, the   
eternal power.  
  
She ran through the house, pounding on doors   
with all her strength. Saturn was the first out,   
like she had been expecting it. The other came   
out, unhenshined and sleepy.  
  
Haruka was downright cranky.  
  
"What the hell are you doing, waking us up at   
this UNGODLY hour?!" She yelled.  
  
"Minna, henshin yo! They've discovered our   
identities, they're going after our families."   
Sailor Moon yelled.  
  
In a flash, they all pulled out their henshin   
sticks.  
  
"MERCURY PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"  
  
"VENUS PRISM POWER MAKE UP!!"  
  
"MARS PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"  
  
"JUPITER PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"  
  
"URANUS CRYSTAL POWER MAKE UP!"  
  
"NEPTUNE CRYSTAL POWER MAKE UP!"  
  
  
****************************  
  
  
  
"We're too late." Sailor Moon murmured, as   
she saw the devastation that was her house.  
  
The door was smashed in, and there were burn   
marks on the floor just inside.  
  
"Do you-- do you want to in?" Mercury asked   
hesitantly.   
  
Sailor Moon narrowed her eyes and shoved back   
all her feelings, all her emotions, locking them   
away in some hidden part of her mind.  
  
"Uranus, Neptune, Zoe. Go look for Neo and   
Jake. Mercury, Jupiter, Venus. Come with me   
inside. Saturn, Mars. I want you to look for any   
leftover enemy. If there's not too many, crush   
them. If you believe you can't handle them, call   
some of us." She said coldly. She pulled out her   
rapier, waiting for something to come flying out   
at her. DARING something to oppose her.  
  
She walked over the splintered door, not   
flinching at the blood nor the reek of youma. She   
looked in each room, her eyes trailing over the   
dead body of her earthly father. He was half   
buried beneath a couch, so all she could see was   
the blood pooled around him.  
  
"Gods." She murmured. She spun around.   
"Jupiter! Venus! Go to your houses immediately...   
oh, right. Jupiter... would you mind going with   
Venus since you don't...."  
  
"Of course." The two senshi ran out.   
  
"Mercury... get Zoe and head to your place."   
  
"Okay, Sailor Moon. Will you be okay?"   
Mercury asked.  
  
"Yes. GO on now. Maybe some of them can be   
saved." As soon as Mercury turned around, Sailor   
Moon tapped the watch on her wrist.  
  
"Minna, everyone who wants to save their   
family, go for it. I can finish up here."  
  
"I'm staying." Uranus said, as did Saturn.   
  
"I've no family to save." Neptune said   
simply.  
  
"Will someone go with Mars, then?"  
  
"I will." Saturn answered.  
  
"Alright. Ruka? I've found my father... he's   
dead."  
  
"And we've found Neo and Jake. Jake's... out   
of it, and Neo looks pretty bad. He was thrown up   
against the side of the house or something."  
  
"Wake them up and tell them to heal   
themselves. I'm going to go through the rest of   
the house and find the others. If they're dead...   
I'll be out in a sec." Sailor Moon turned her   
communicator off.  
  
She already knew what she would find. Some   
part of here new abilities were too good for her.   
She felt no life in the house. Not an ounce.  
  
She didn't want to see Ikuko.   
  
She turned and ran out, choking down the   
tears.   
  
'I'm sorry, Ikuko-mama. I broke my promise...   
I'm so sorry...'  
  
  
************************  
  
Three days later~~  
  
  
What was found at the other houses was just   
as bad as at Usagi's. Bodies torn to shreds. All   
of them had arrived too late. Saturn and Mars got   
to the temple just as the soldiers were leaving.   
  
In a rage, Mars had burnt nearly all of them   
to dust. Saturn managed to calm her and together,   
they deleted the little group.  
  
Ami's mother was dead, the apartment in   
flames. Luckily for her, she never saw her   
mother's body.  
  
Minako shrugged off her mother's death like   
nothing. Her mother had never been supportive of   
her and abused her. But still, somewhere in her   
heart of hearts, it hurt to see the pool of blood   
around the dismembered body.  
  
Jake just had a concussion, whereas Neo have   
some cracked ribs and some internal injuries.  
  
Both were so-so.  
  
"Senshi, we must do something." Usagi toyed   
with the Eternal Sword, twirling it around   
nervously in her hands.  
  
"Like what?" Makoto asked.  
  
"Well, I, for one, am sick of sitting here   
watching you guys mope!" Haruka stood up.   
"Alright. That witch killed your families. And   
yet, here you sit, just waiting for something to   
happen. Well, let me tell you, nothing's gonna   
happen unless you make it!"  
  
"Well said, Ten'oh-san." A new voice, melodic,   
with an accent like Usagi's, said. They turned to   
see a girl with waist length hair so sky blue it   
looked white. Her eyes were silver, and she was in   
a senshi fuku with light gray bows and a lavender   
skirt.  
  
"Who are you?!" Minako yelped.  
  
"I am the soldier that represents all the   
tears spilt by those who have cried for the lives   
of ones lost to the abyss. I am Sailor Sorrow!"   
She announced.   
  
Usagi ran forward and embraced the girl in a   
hug.  
  
"It's about time! I sent that message two   
days ago, Div!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Well, excuse me for having to travel through   
four solar systems!"  
  
"Uh... do you two know each other?" Haruka   
asked.  
  
"This is Divinity. She's very distant   
relative of mine from the Yujlid System. She's the   
only senshi there, but they are at peace, so I   
sent for her help."  
  
"Yup! Divie here to brighten things up! Come   
on, minna, let's get to work. Before I left, I had   
Jared, my advisor, arrange a plan..."  
  
************************  
  
  
  
  
"It's insane." Rei said immediately.  
  
"I like it!" Haruka said at the same time.  
  
Usagi rolled her eyes at the both of them.   
Divinity's plan was a good one, with an approach   
they hadn't even dared think about.  
  
They would allow themselves to be captured.  
  
"No." Ami and Zoe said at the same time.  
  
"Right." Michiru agreed. "They have   
permission to kill us on sight. If we turn   
ourselves in, there's no way we'll come out   
alive."  
  
"Except for me." Usagi murmured.  
  
"What do you mean?" Makoto asked.  
  
Divinity stared at Usagi, and shrugged. Usagi   
looked at all of her senshi and generals, trying   
to decide.  
  
"I can't die." she said. "I'm immortal.   
Bonafide` goddess. Can't die."  
  
"Duh." Saturn rolled her eyes. But the others   
were stunned.  
  
"Oh, come on! Surely one of you remembered   
that once a mortal has became Eternia, they're   
immortal!  
  
"Hey. Where the hell is Kage?" Minako asked.   
The others looked around, realizing that Mamoru   
and Kage were indeed missing.  
  
"Dammit, we never though to tell them   
about... you know." Haruka muttered.  
  
"They'll be here any minute." Div said. Sure   
enough, about two seconds later, the door opened   
and Tuxedo Kamen and Kage walked in.  
  
"Boy, have we got some news for you!" Hotaru   
giggled.  
  
  
  
  
  
"We absolutely can't allow ourselves to be   
captured. That's a biggie. But we now have enough   
power to at least attempt to take Kunzite and Beryl   
head on." Mamoru pointed out. It was the day after   
Sailor Sorrow's arrival, and Tuxedo Kamen and Kage   
had both been filled in.   
  
Both also felt like dookie because they   
hadn't been there when everything happened.  
  
"But we can't all go." Mercury added.  
  
"Why not?" Jake asked.  
  
"Because of the strain on our powers."   
Divinity answered. "Teleportation, at best. takes   
the teleporter along. To take five extra people   
would be murder."  
  
"So the generals and Tuxie sit this one out."   
Hotaru summed up.  
  
"Yup." Serenity stood up, looking dramatic in   
her eternal form. "I'm all ready to go. We've had a   
good rest, and I've had a power up that will us an   
advantage." She raised the sword.  
  
"You're right." Rei said. "We leave the guys   
behind--"  
  
"Since the guys would probably screw up   
anyway." Haruka cut in.  
  
"Hey, just because you're jealous..." Neo   
grinned.  
  
"Jealous?! I'll show you jealous, you pompous   
little arrogant--!" Haruka leapt at Neo, and they   
went rolling over in a fight. Makoto and Michiru   
sighed.  
  
"Just when you think they've grown up."   
Michiru shook her head.  
  
"Hey, Ami-chan, do you think Neo's cute?"   
Makoto asked, stars in her eyes.  
  
"I think Zoe is..." Ami replied.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Hey! You two! Snap out of it!" Rei   
complained to Makoto and Ami, who were staring at   
the fighting Neo, and Zoe, respectively.  
  
"Rei!" Makoto whined.  
  
"Rei likes Jake. I've seen her staring at   
him." Minako whispered. Rei turned bright red.   
  
"Well, you're in love with Kage!" She   
retorted.  
  
"So? We all know that... right, Kage?" Minako   
asked. Kage turned pink and began stuttering.  
  
"Come on, minna. Do we do this tonight?"   
Serenity asked.  
  
"We really need a good night's sleep, Ren,   
first." Divinity pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, I bet Haruka and Michiru are gonna   
sleep REAL good!" Jake yelled. Haruka turned bright   
red, abandoned her fight with Neo and went for   
Jake.  
  
"AHH!" Jake yelled, and jumped out of the   
way. Haruka began chasing him around the room while   
Michiru went into the kitchen, muttering about   
Aspirin.  
  
"Hey! Quiet down!" Hotaru yelled. Haruka and   
Jake went to opposite corners of the room, sulking.  
  
"Okay. Next time that happens, Haruka, I'm   
taking your henshin stick." Michiru put her hands   
on her hips.  
  
"Michi!"  
  
"I will."  
  
"Alright, everyone. Up to bed. Now." Serenity   
was aware of Hin's presence in the room.  
  
"But I thought--" Ami began.  
  
"No... Div's right... we need to sleep first.   
SHOO!" She yelled. Everyone scattered from the   
room. Serenity turned around, and sure enough,   
there was Hin.  
  
"My princess." He said, kneeling.  
  
"Get up, Hin. Where are you been? It's been a   
long time since I've seen you." She asked, pulling   
him to his feet. She gave him a hug, and refused to   
let go.  
  
"I've been away. I just now learned about   
it... I'm so sorry I wasn't there." Hin said, his   
eyes on the floor.  
  
In the doorways, minna was watching,   
silently.  
  
"Hin, you couldn't have helped, anyway. We   
tried, and that was what mattered." Serenity smiled   
weakly.   
  
"But--"  
  
"Hin, don't be sorry." Serenity hugged Hin.   
"And you missed all the good stuff. I got this   
freaky cool sword." She said. Hin grinned.   
  
"You never let anything get you down, huh,   
Usa?"   
  
In the doorway, Divinity was struggling to   
keep Mamoru from running out and strangling the   
strange man in Usagi's arms.  
  
"Hell, Hin. If I did that, I'd be dead and   
buried a year ago."  
  
"Yeah, well." He leaned down to whisper in her   
ear. From the senshi's point of view, it looked   
like he was kissing her. Mamoru was purple in the   
face.  
  
"My princess, I do believe we have company."   
whispered he.  
  
"Really? Is Mamoru among them?" She   
whispered back.  
  
"The prince? Uh... yes."  
  
"Hin.. what should I do about him?" Serenity   
whispered.  
  
"Well, acknowledging his presence would be a   
start."  
  
"You!" Serenity pushed away from him. "You   
know exactly what I mean, Hin."  
  
"And I told you I'm no expert in those   
matters!"  
  
"Baby!" Serenity stuck her tongue out at him.   
  
"Darn. I thought they were gonna kiss."   
Minako whispered, disappointed. Mamoru glared at   
her. If looks could kill....  
  
"My princess, you know what will happen if   
you allow the senshi to follow you into Beryl's   
Palace." Hin said, his eyes narrowed.  
  
"I know, Hin! But I can't really tell them   
that! This has to be in between Beryl and myself!"  
  
"Like hell it will!" Haruka stepped out.   
Serenity smiled gently, looking so much like her   
name if it were not for the deadly rapier in her   
hands.  
  
"Haruka, you do not know how much I   
appreciate your concerns. But I cannot allow you to   
walk into a death trap that only I may walk out   
of. Besides, I must fight alone. There may be   
explosions that will kill you all."  
  
"Usagi, we will not let you go alone." Ami   
said.  
  
"We are at our best as one." Makoto chimed   
in.  
  
"You will need our help, Usa-chan." Minako   
gave Usagi a V for Victory sign.  
  
"You cannot go alone." Michiru and Hotaru   
said at the same time. The generals had dragged   
Mamoru into the living room, and you could hear   
Mamoru yelling at them.  
  
"What's up with him?" Serenity asked sweetly,   
knowing very well what was wrong.  
  
"Ren!" Hin said sharply.  
  
"Who are YOU, anyway?!" Rei asked.  
  
"Rei-chan, leave him alone... please."   
Serenity pleaded. "I don't get to see him often."  
  
"I am Hin, of the Star Warriors." Hin said,   
looking at each of them. they were not exactly as   
he remembered them, but he had to remember that   
rebirth had a tendency to do that.   
  
Haruka and Michiru were pretty much the same,   
he noted. As was Hotaru. But the rest of them...   
they were different. Including his princess.   
ESPECIALLY his princess.  
  
The princess he knew on the moon was a whiny,   
weak little slip of a thing.  
  
The princess here was strong, and determined.   
She was stronger than anyone Hin had ever seen, or   
heard of. Inside that delicate body of hers was   
the power of many suns, he felt it.  
  
"I really should go now, Hime-sama." Hin   
said.  
  
"No!" Divinity and Serenity yelled at the   
same time.  
  
"Hin, stay with us. You can teleport too. You   
can help fight." Divinity pointed out.  
  
"I am not allowed. Like Pluto, my direct   
interference is forbidden. I can visit, make   
myself known, even train a warrior, or go so far as   
to awaken them, and maybe even take a few soldiers   
out, but fighting against the master of the enemy   
is not allowed. Good-bye." He vanished.  
  
"Dammit, Div! Why'd you have to suggest   
that?! Every time I suggest fighting, he gets all   
uptight. Like hell he's not allowed to fight. I saw   
him take on a youma once." Serenity started to pace   
the room. "I thought my plan would work... use him   
to make Mamoru jealous as hell..."  
  
"WHAT?!" All the senshi, Div included,   
yelled.  
  
"What?" Serenity asked.  
  
"YOU LIKE MAMORU?!" Rei looked ready to   
strangle the other girl.  
  
"You didn't tell us?!" Minako looked   
outraged.   
  
"He is the prince. Whether either of them   
want to admit it, they're soul mates. Destined to   
be." Hotaru muttered.  
  
"You like Hin!" Minako said, her jaw hitting   
the floor.  
  
"WHAT?!" Hotaru yelled.  
  
"You do! Hotaru and Hin, sittin' in a tree,   
K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes Love, then comes Marr--"  
  
"Shut up, Minako!" Hotaru ran after Minako,   
who was yelling the song at the top of her lungs,   
running through the house.  
  
"That was-- interesting." Haruka commented.  
  
"Listen, guys. Hin's not been wrong yet. I   
can't let you guys get killed. Especially not you,   
Divinity. Your people would kill me."  
  
"As if that was possible." Div said under her   
breath.  
  
"I'm going." And to prove her point, Haruka   
henshined.  
  
"I'm with Uranus." Rei said, and one by one,   
they all henshined. Serenity slowly sheathed the   
sword and leaned on her staff.  
  
"This is the only way you're leaving,   
Princess Serenity. With us." Mercury said.  
  
"But--"  
  
"No." Mars grasped one of Serenity's hands.   
They formed a loose ring. Uranus held out her hand   
for Serenity's other.   
  
Sighing, Serenity put the staff up. Maybe Hin   
was wrong... they were all strong.  
  
Maybe they could win without loss.  
  
Maybe.  
  
One by one, they powered up, calling out   
their planet's names. Then, in a final burst of   
power, Sailor Moon yelled the final two words:   
Sailor Teleport!  
  
They disappeared from the room, leaving the   
five men to hope and pray...  
  
****************************  
  
  
The senshi reappeared in a large cave, bigger   
than the mansion. It was darker than black. Mars   
stared at the nothingness for a few minutes then   
realized she was the only one who could do   
something about it.  
  
"Hold on, minna." She called, hoping the   
others were with her."I'm going to light things   
up a bit."  
  
"Good." She heard Serenity to her right. Mars   
figured, since she hadn't the slightest where any   
of them were, that the best way to go, was up.  
  
"MARS SPIRALING VORTEX!" She yelled, throwing   
her tornado of flame above her head, and the room   
was lit up for a few seconds.   
  
Almost to good to be true, a line of torches   
were on the red-- oh, no.  
  
"God." Mercury whispered.  
  
The walls, were in all reality, gray stone.   
But you could not tell it from looking at them.   
They were stained scarlet, soaked red, with--  
  
"It's blood." Sailor Sorrow said, her voice   
loud in the deafening silence.  
  
"By the gods... this place is hell." Jupiter   
said, her voice far away, her eyes glazed over.  
  
"Not even close." Serenity narrowed her eyes,   
and the staff was in her hands. "Hell is a ways up.   
This is Heaven compared to what we're in for."  
  
"How do you know?" Venus wondered.  
  
"Because, the worse battle I've ever been in   
was ten times worse than this. Facing Beryl will be   
a thousand times worse than my worse battle. So, in   
comparative terms, this is bliss."  
  
"I too, have seen much worse." Sorrow added.  
  
"I don't believe we've even imagined this."   
Uranus whispered, looking at the rotting bodies and   
skeletons pinned up to the wall, Roman crucifixion   
style. The smell was nearly unbearable.  
  
On the floor, here and there, were skeletons   
that looked almost human, but they were twisted   
beyond recognition.  
  
"Youma." Saturn realized.  
  
"This is the most disgusting place I've ever   
seen, even in my nightmares." Neptune announced.  
  
"Thank you. We don't receive many   
compliments." A voice almost as putrid as the room   
echoed. Serenity looked up to see Kunzite hovering   
over them.  
  
"It wasn't a compliment." Neptune said, as   
she took out her mirror.  
  
"Kunzite, Sailor Mercury does have the power   
to destroy you!" Serenity said. Kunzite's eyes   
narrowed at this. "Leave now." The moon princess   
told him.  
  
"Beryl herself decreed that only the Moon   
Princess posed any treat to her." He said,   
confident. "And I see not the princess." Mercury   
choked back a giggle.  
  
"Oh, really." Serenity raised an eyebrow.   
"Girls, do we know where the princess is? The Moon   
Princess too. Hmm. I don't recall hearing of her."   
She said, in a mocking tone of voice. "Idiot! I am   
Princess Eternia, or, as you know me, Princess   
Serenity." Inside, the girl didn't want to fight   
this clone of the man her friend loved, and hoped   
to scare him off with this information.  
  
"Ha! Everyone knows of the princess's blonde   
hair!" Kunzite crowed.  
  
"Like Sailor Moon's." Saturn suggested.  
  
"Why... yes... just like Sailor Moon's..."   
Kunzite's face went pale in shock. "You're not   
telling me..."  
  
"Oh, yes." Serenity stood forward, her   
warriors falling back. Sorrow looked at the   
soulless demon, and wondered how anyone could be so   
completely under a person's control.  
  
"Kunzite, clone of the Earth General Kunzite,   
protector of the Prince of Earth, I am your worst   
nightmare." Serenity smiled an odd half smile. "I   
am Tsukino Usagi, Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity,   
and Princess Eternia, Immortal of the Heavens, and   
the Eternal Warrior." She said, taking from it's   
sheath the Eternal Sword of her ancestor, Etern. It   
blazed with all the light that Beryl so futilely   
tried to conceal.  
  
"You are the One." Kunzite whispered. He   
knew, in every once of his body, that death was   
behind him.   
  
"I merely am, Kunzite. I am. That is all."   
She said, throwing both sword and staff to the   
ground with a clatter.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Hime-san, what are you doing!"  
  
"Usagi?!" Her friends cried out at her   
foolish action. But Serenity just gazed at Kunzite   
as he smiled coldly, gathered all of his strength   
and power, and threw it at her, blowing the senshi   
back into the red walls, and leaving a crater in   
the floor.   
  
Kunzite laughed as the thick smoke and dust   
billowed up, and the senshi gasped and stared in   
horror.  
  
Serenity was most assuredly dead.  
  
The smoke thinned, gradually, and as it did,   
the shapely form of Eternia became cleared.   
  
The laughter caught in his throat.  
  
"I am immortal, Kunzite. You cannot harm me."   
She said, her eyes sad and her face steel. She   
pointed one hand, palm facing him.  
  
"And I die." Kunzite thought.  
  
"In the name of the Moon, Kunzite, accept   
your punishment." She said, her words clear and   
strong, piercing the darkness. A clear, silver beam   
of light shot from her palm and hit him square in   
the chest, searing a hole through his body, and   
turning him to dust in a nano second. He had not   
time to cry out.  
  
Venus and Jupiter stared at the pile of the   
dust, as the others did anything but.   
  
An enemy, defeated, without effort or weapon.   
How powerful was their princess.  
  
"My friend, we should continue." Sorrow broke   
the silence, her silver eyes looking dull.   
  
She alone knew the effort it had cost her   
friend to destroy this enemy, with the face of the   
man that Serenity thought of as her older brother.  
  
"Yes..." Serenity whispered, sheathing the   
sword and climbing out of the hole in the ground.   
Her staff she used as a crutch, for she hadn't will   
to walk.  
  
"This is only the beginning, isn't it?"   
Uranus whispered.  
  
"I'm afraid so." Saturn felt the end... the   
end of all.  
  
**************************  
  
  
Beryl paled considerably at the news of her   
demolished general. Kunzite, her last, strongest,   
and most capable general, dead. And what worried   
her most was what the new one... the one in blue,   
said before she killed him.  
  
The blood of Etern. Etern. How she despised   
that name with all her mortal soul. Metalia told   
her of Etern, and how any who was his kin would   
most definitely be the fall of the Dark Kingdom.   
Especially the girl with the Eternal Soul.   
  
It was only coincidence, perhaps, that this   
girl, was also a warrior. Sailor Moon. They had   
most definitely made a mistake in killing the   
families of the senshi. Beryl knew now that this   
only made them stronger.  
  
The Dark Kingdom's revenge was sweet, but   
cocoa also looks sweet... but it's bitter as hell   
if you taste it. You must add sugar, and sugar was   
the light that would destroy Beryl's world.  
  
"That imp of a girl is immortal. She has the   
full blood of Etern. My Kingdom... Metalia... what   
should I do?" She asked the glowing purple-red   
thing in front of her.  
  
"Don't whine at me, Beryl." It growled back.  
  
"We cannot defeat her-- please, Metalia, give   
us the power to defeat her."  
  
"You want power? Fine! Power you shall have!"   
Metalia roared, breaking loose from her prison and   
killing Beryl, taking Beryl's body for her own.  
  
"And now, my pathetic princess, you deal with   
me."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"I feel an evil power... it's huge." Sailor   
Mars whispered, as they were sure that they had   
begun to make their way to the main cavern.  
  
This Nega-verse... it was a paradox within   
itself... some of the caverns were gorgeous, and   
made you want to stay there forever to gaze at the   
murky hues of the flowers, but some of the caverns   
were like the first, horrible stuff that could and   
probably would give them nightmares for the rest   
of their lives, if their previous experiences   
didn't.  
  
"Good. Beryl has taken her own life, then."   
Sailor Sorrow said gravely, and Serenity frowned.  
  
"I thought that perhaps she wouldn't--"  
  
"You mean Beryl's killed herself?!"   
Uranus's voice was incredulous.   
  
"We knew she would." Saturn said.  
  
"WHAT?!" Venus, Mars, Mercury, and Neptune   
yelled.  
  
"Of course." Serenity said. "Beryl never   
would have enough power to defeat me. She had to   
do something. We really don't know what she did,   
but we do know that Beryl would never have the   
power to defeat any of us. Beryl is quite weak."  
  
"Weak?!" Uranus repeated, and swung her arm   
in an arch, to turn their attention to the gore of   
the room. "You call this WEAK!? I really don't   
want to know your definition of strong."  
  
"Haruka." Serenity sighed. Her silver eyes   
were full of sadness from memories that no one   
should have to remember, and from wisdom no being   
should have. "I must call Beryl weak, for compared   
to the power we must now face, Beryl is, in   
comparative terms, like an ant is to a human   
compared to this new force."  
  
"Oh, wonderful!" Mercury hit her head   
against the reddened wall.  
  
"Then we really don't have a chance."   
Neptune realized.  
  
"As so I said." Serenity sighed.   
  
"I will die. My people will understand."   
Sailor Sorrow smiled. "Anything for the   
Lunarians."   
  
"No." Saturn said. "I must demand, with or   
without your permission, Princess, that the others   
except you, I, and perhaps Divinity stay."  
  
"What!?" The senshi spoke out as one.  
  
"She's right." Sailor Mercury said. "If   
they do not make it, the city must have   
protection."  
  
"It makes sense... but I can't leave you to   
die!" Jupiter spoke for what seemed like the first   
time since they had entered the Underworld.  
  
"I won't do it! I'll die first!" Uranus   
said stubbornly.  
  
"You very well might." Serenity said, her   
eyes narrowing. "Haruka, you still think this is   
a game. It's not! This is my fight, not yours! My   
war, not yours. You didn't start this. I did. You   
don't need to die for me, Sailor Uranus."  
  
"But it is our duty." Neptune spoke up.  
  
"No." Serenity said, shaking her head.   
  
"What do you mean?" Mars asked.  
  
"I have but you in too much danger already.   
I will not have you die for me. Good-bye, My   
senshi. There will be another if I do not return."   
She whispered, and then the mark on her forehead   
blazed so brightly that the senshi were forced to   
look away.  
  
When they were able to see again, they were   
looking into the stunned faces of the generals and   
Tuxedo Kamen.  
  
"That idiot!" Divinity screeched.  
  
Serenity had left it to herself to face   
Queen Metalia.  
  
*******************  
  
  
Serenity looked at the place where her   
senshi had once stood. She wondered if she was   
strong enough to kill Metalia... she wondered if   
she should bring Saturn back. Saturn was hard to   
kill, so maybe...  
  
"No. I will not put them in a suicidal   
position." Serenity said aloud, and quickly walked   
through the rooms, keeping her head down, not   
looking at the gore strung around the rooms. With   
each step, she knew she was growing closer to the   
Main Hall, where Metalia waited for her.  
  
Metalia. The one who had destroyed her soul   
and will to live.   
  
She felt no pity for the creature.   
Every time she told herself she would reform, take   
the war for what it was. And yet she still carried   
pity for the enemy.   
  
She felt no sympathy for Metalia. And   
neither did she feel any for Beryl, who had so   
unwittingly given her life and body to the witch.   
  
She was angry. Dead-through angry. And not   
just, 'Give me back my purse' angry, we talking   
'Alright, you killed my mom and now you're going   
down, and then you whip out a machine gun' angry.  
  
Yeah. I think you get it.  
  
And this machine gun was a small, yet very   
potent, ginzuishou. And this anger was past, you   
killed my mom. Because Beryl had killed both her   
mothers. And both her fathers. And destroyed both   
her lives. And had once again separated her from   
her lover. And had ruined the world, once again.  
  
So... if you can actually imagine that...   
  
"METALIA, SHOW YOURSELF!" Serenity called,   
as she stepped into the main room. A spindle of   
dark energy appeared and a twisted version of   
Queen Beryl appeared.  
  
"Aw, my little moon princess, we meet at   
last." Metalia's voice was dripping with honey-  
sweet venom.  
  
"Drop the act, witch." Serenity said   
coldly. "You're mine."   
  
  
************************  
  
  
Somewhere, deep inside of Metalia's mind,   
she shuddered. The pure raw emotion that was in   
this fragile princess's eyes, and the way she held   
up the Silver Crystal showed Metalia she was a   
warrior.  
  
Metalia was afraid.  
  
Queen Serenity had not frightened Metalia.   
Nothing had. It had been a cinch to defeat the   
Silver Millennium. A few well placed spies, a few   
clones here and there, and bu-boom.  
  
Queen Serenity had surprised Metalia,   
though, when she had used the sacrifice ritual and   
gave her life to seal Metalia away in the Dark   
Kingdom and send the souls of the senshi forward.   
But Evil always returns, and sooner or later,   
Metalia supposed, you found a weak link.  
  
She had led Beryl to believe that this was   
the weak link. She herself had believed it was. No   
Serenity, no senshi, no opposition. It had been   
like squishing ants.  
  
"In your dreams, Moon Girl." She replied,   
not showing an ounce of her fear.  
  
But Serenity knew.  
  
"You're afraid, Metalia. You're afraid. And   
soon, you're not going to be. Because whether you   
kill me, or whether I kill you, soon, both of our   
fears are going to be gone. Whoever sits on the   
throne after this will be completely free of   
threats." Serenity said, holding the crystal in   
front of her.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
"You'll never win, Moon Brat!"  
  
"We'll see. ETERNAL MOON COSMIC POWER!"  
  
"Raaaaaaaaa!" Metalia met the white power   
with her own dark power.  
  
Silence.  
  
Then, a sound came that a super nova   
couldn't match. An explosion of white against   
black.  
  
For a full minute, the powers blazed, the   
dark beginning to overpower the white.  
  
"Noooo!" Serenity screamed. "My friends!"  
  
**************************  
  
  
  
Together, they heard a voice cry out.  
  
"Nooooo! My friends!"  
  
"It's Serenity!" Tuxedo Kamen gasped.  
  
"Senshi, join hands. Lend her your power."   
Divinity said softly, watching the inners and   
outers form a rough circle.  
  
One by one, they called out their powers.  
  
"Mercury Prism Power!"  
  
"Venus Prism Power!"  
  
"Mars Prism Power!"  
  
"Jupiter Prism Power!"  
  
"Uranus Planet Power!"  
  
"Neptune Planet Power!"  
  
"Saturn Planet Power!"  
  
"Powers of the planets..."  
  
  
Far away, Serenity heard their cries, and   
added her own to theirs.  
  
"Powers of the Moon..."  
  
Together, though miles apart, they screamed   
one word in perfect union.  
  
"UNITE!"  
  
*********************  
  
  
Metalia screamed a death cry as the Crystal   
Absorbed the power and sent all out at her,   
overpowering her and reducing her to nothing but   
dust.  
  
For many hours, Serenity sat on her knees,   
catching her breath and her strength.  
  
Finally, she returned home.  
  
The world was safe.  
  
They had defeated the evil.  
  
  
  
*buries her face in her hands, embarrassed and muttering* I can't believe I actually wrote that ending. Oh my god. Unite? UNITE? How cheesy... and corny...   
  
Yeah, I know, what a sucky ending. You don't have to tell me, I know. But hey, at least I'm giving you the long awaited sequel. Look for the first bit of it soon, okay? And I'm not posting it until this has at least twenty reviews, just to let you know! ^_^ I'm evil, yes, I know. You may kiss my bunny collection now.  
  
Mistress Hecate  
Aka  
Black beyond 


End file.
